As with strychnine, therefore, so with brucine, the air which had been left in contact with the poisoned blood, in that it contains more oxygen and less carbonic acid than the air which had been left in contact with the pure blood, has absorbed less oxygen and given off less carbonic acid than the pure blood.

Dr. Harley has also shown very conclusively that strychnine has, in addition, a direct power of destroying muscular irritability.

In one of these experiments, in which the hearts of two frogs are cut out and placed, one in distilled water, the other in a solution of acetate of strychnine, the result is, that the heart placed in distilled water goes on pulsating regularly for twenty-four hours, and that the heart which had been placed in the poisoned solution not only ceases to beat in a few minutes (from one to five, according to the strength of the solution), but even passes into a state of rigor mortis before the other heart has lost its irritability.

In the other experiments, the hind legs of a frog are prepared after Galvani's method, and placed one in a vessel containing distilled water, the other in a vessel containing a strong solution of acetate of strychnine. The muscles and nerves of these limbs are separately tested by galvanism, and the result is, that the muscles of the limb immersed in simple water are seen to contract freely after the muscles of the limb immersed in the poisoned solution have passed into the state of rigor mortis.

The action of the strychnine upon the muscles, indeed, may be supposed to be in some degree analogous to the action upon the blood, for, as Dr. Harley points out, the destruction of the "irritability of the muscle may be supposed to imply the suspension of that process of absorbing oxygen and giving off carbonic acid-the so-called respiration of the muscle-which is certainly most energetic when the irritability is most marked."

At any rate, these very important facts go to show that the action of strychnia, in producing muscular contraction, is not an action of stimulation, for they show that the poison acts first of all by rendering the blood less apt to appropriate its stimulating element, oxygen, and, in the second place, by diminishing the irritability of the muscles.

In another place, moreover, Dr. Harley says: "Many other poisons, I doubt not, exert their influence in a similar manner; for I have found that hydrocyanic acid, chloroform, nicotine, alcohol, ether, morphine, and several other narcotics, have the same power of destroying the property possessed by the organic constituents of the blood of absorbing oxygen and exhaling carbonic acid."

Observations on the Poison of the Upas Antiar. By Professor Kölliker. ("Proceedings of the Royal Society," Feb. 15, 1858.)

The results of Professor Kölliker's investigations into the effects of the antiar upon frogs are the following:

"1. The antiar is a paralyzing poison.

"2. It acts in the first instance and with great rapidity (in 5 to 10 minutes) upon the heart, and stops its action.

"3. The consequences of this paralysis of the heart are the cessation of the voluntary and reflex movements in the first and second hour after the introduction of the poison.

"4. The antiar paralyzes, in the second place, the voluntary muscles.

"5. In the third place, it causes the loss of excitability of the great nervous

trunks.

ointments, without the slightest relief. Examination showed an intense congestion of the cervix uteri; this was made the object of treatment, and on its removal, the pruritus and all its miserable concomitants totally ceased.

"I have already called the consent between the uterus and bladder, a reciprocal sympathy, because it equally acts in the reverse direction, irritations of the bladder being frequently found to influence and disturb the functions of the uterus-a fact which should not be forgotten in practice, and especially in the treatment of the diseases of pregnancy, when the administration of the more irritating diuretics should be avoided, lest they should excite contraction of the fibres of the uterus, and so induce premature expulsion of its contents. That they are capable of so doing is, unfortunately, popularly known, and advantage is taken of such knowledge for base and wicked purposes.

"And again, we must remember that vesical disturbances may produce a group of symptoms so closely resembling those arising from disease of the uterus, as to be mistaken for them.

"Several years ago, there occurred in this city, a case forcibly illustrative of this, and which excited no small sensation. The wife of a general officer, at that time holding the highest military command in this country, began to complain of distressing symptoms, having all the characters of those produced by uterine disease. Such was her own conviction, and on her consulting an accoucheur, then in large and high practice, her worst fears were confirmed; he pronounced the affection to be cancer uteri, and could only promise palliation. But she had many anxious friends, whose happy privilege it is always to hope for the best, and some of them urged upon her the necessity of having another opinion; to this, she at last consented, and the gentleman called in, pronounced the case to be one of stone in the bladder; the stone was extracted, and the lady passed at once from a state of pain and misery, to one of comfort and happiness.

"A few years since, a patient came to consult me, stating that, to gratify her friends, she had come to town for my advice, although quite aware that she could not be cured. She also handed me a written statement of her case, which set forth that she had had seven labors of terrible severity, owing to contracted pelvis, always requiring instrumental delivery; that for some months she had exhibited unequivocal symptoms of the existence of cancer uteri; and I confess, that from this account, and the woman's own description of her symptoms, I thought there was little room for doubt as to the nature of her malady. However, I, of course, gave no opinion, and suspended my judg ment until I should have instituted a careful examination; on doing so, I could discover no disease of the uterus, but the neck of the bladder was distended, and felt very hard. I passed a sound into it, which at once struck against a stone of considerable size. Mr. Fleming now saw the case with me, the stone was removed, and the woman soon returned home well, and continued so.

"It is not my intention to enter into a lengthened exposition of all the details of this part of our subject, but only to ask the attention of this distinguished meeting for a few minutes, while I review as briefly as may be, some forms of disturbance of the functions of the bladder occurring at the time of labor. And I may just premise, that considering the frequency with which we witness such interchange of sympathies as we have been hitherto discussing, and their production, in many instances, from comparatively unimportant causes, we would anticipate from the close relation of juxtaposition between the uterus and bladder, and from the direct exposure of the latter organ to the powerful mechanical efforts of the uterus, as well as from the marvellous anatomical and physiological changes taking place in the latter, during pregnancy and parturition, and immediately after-we would, I say, be led to expect that the innervation and the powers of the bladder would be likely to exhibit still more marked and decided evidences of impairment, or some other abnormal condition, in the puerperal woman; and accordingly, in practice, we find that there are, at least, four forms of disturbance of the functions of the bladder, which are not unfrequently produced by parturition, even when that process is easy and natural.

Dr. Hammond's conclusions are:

1st. That urea (simple and combined with vesical mucus), carbonate of ammonia and sulphate of potash, when injected into the blood vessels of sound animals, do not cause death.

2d. That nitrate of potash, when thus introduced, is speedily fatal.

3d. That death ensues from the injection of any of the foregoing named substances into the circulation of animals whose kidneys have been previously extirpated.

4th. That in neither case dose urea when introduced directly into the circulation, undergo conversion into carbonate of ammonia.

The Histology of the Supra-renal Capsules. By GEORGE HARLEY, M. D., Lecturer on Practical Physiology in University College, London. ("Proceedings of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society," December 8, 1858.)

The author begins this paper by pointing out that the supra-renal capsules could not properly be said to diminish in proportionate size and activity of function with advancing years. He also exhibited several preparations of supra-renal capsules taken from individuals of different ages, to prove that their development proceeded at a certain ratio after birth. He moreover states that as they did not become proportionally more atrophied in old age than many of the other organs, it might naturally be supposed that they had a certain function to perform in adult as well as in fœtal life. Dr. Harley then calls attention to the great variety of size and shape of the supra-renal capsules throughout the vertebrata, and afterwards proceeded to point out the appearances presented to the naked eye by healthy supra-renal capsules. He denies the existence of any large cavity in the centre of the healthy human supra-renal capsule, and said that when such was found it was the result either of accidental rupture of the medullary substance, or as the effect of disease. He points out, however, the existence of a number of small sinuses in the centre of the organ. Dr. Harley says that the cortical and medullary portions of the supra-renal capsules, which are so different in color, have equally distinct microscopical characters. The former, which constitutes the greater part of the organ, consists of a number of cells arranged in irregularly sized rows in a fibro-areolar matrix; the rows of cells appearing like a number of dark-yellow columns placed perpendicularly to the surface. The cells when examined individually are seen to be composed of a homogeneous cell-wall, filled with granules, pigment, and some fat-globules. Each cell possesses a well-marked nucleus, although it is not always visible without the employment of reagents. The easiest way to demonstrate the existence of a nucleus, the author said, was to color the cells with carmine. When floating free in the field of the microscope the cells appear irregularly round; but when grouped together they have a somewhat polygonal form. The cells are arranged in a number of larger and smaller masses, which are placed in regular rows, and thus give rise to the columnar appearance. In some cases a column is composed of several cellmasses of different lengths, placed end to end. In others it consists almost entirely of one long cell-mass. Each column, as well as each cell-mass, is separated from the others by delicate fibrous tissue, in which are imbedded the vessels and nerves. Sometimes the cell-masses present the appearance of long tubes, inclosing a single straight row of quadrilateral cells. Each cell-mass is closed at the extremities, and is surrounded by a delicate homogeneous membrane. The dark, slate-colored medullary substance of the supra-renal capsules has a very different structure from that just described. It is composed of a network of fibres, in the meshes of which are a number of large nucleated cells, which has been described by various writers as ganglion-corpuscles. Dr. Harley thinks, however, that these, like the cells in the cortical substance, are true secreting cells. The supra-renal capsules are very freely supplied with bloodvessels. Their course and distribution were minutely described.

The author concluded his communication by making a few remarks on the supposed function of the organ, in the course of which he observed that in the supra-renal capsules of the frog he had found blood corpuscles in various

passed water since her confinement, nor for many hours before it; she recovered perfectly.

"The next case occurred to me under circumstances which invested it with a very unusual interest, and caused it to make a great impression on me. I happened to be staying for a few days in a very fashionable watering-place in England, where there resided a family of great wealth and consideration in society; the eldest son of which had married a lady of large fortune and high connection. This lady had recently been confined of her first child; and, as may be readily supposed, the attendance upon her had been a matter of warm ambition among the local practitioners; and the gentleman who carried off the prize was, I fancy, more envied than congratulated by his confreres.

"I met this gentleman accidentally in society, and the following morning he called on me in a state of painful agitation and distress. I am,' he said, in a terrible dilemma, and fear I am a ruined man.' He then proceeded to tell me that he had attended Mrs. three days before; that she had rather a severe labor, and that at the end of thirty hours, finding the labor not likely to terminate by the natural efforts, the head having remained stationary for several hours, low down in the pelvis, and pressed strongly against its floor, he had delivered her with the forceps, without, as he assured me, any difficulty whatever. All then seemed well, but next day, the lady was uncomfortable, restless, feverish, and rather larger than she ought to be, and this state went on increasing until the third or fourth day, when, to his horror, the urine began to trickle away incessantly, and a slough, about the size of a sixpence, was discharged from the vagina. He at once, naturally enough, concluded that a vesical fistula was established; and I, taking his account as my guide, thought there was but little doubt that his worst apprehensions would be realized.

"At his urgent request, I accompanied him to visit the lady, whom I found with a hot skin, much headache, a very quick pulse, a very distended abdomen, which was moreover so tender that she could hardly bear it to be touched; but I distinctly ascertained the presence of fluid. On examining per vaginam, I could not detect by the finger any breach of surface along the anterior wall, or back of the bladder, and I suggested to Mr. that it would be well to pass a catheter into the bladder; which, at his request, I did; and gave exit to a quantity of urine, sufficient to fill an ordinary wash-hand basin. Subsidence of the abdominal swelling immediately took place, the lady felt inexpressible relief, and from this day went on well.

"The truth was, that the bladder had been forgotten by all the parties concerned; and the patient had never passed water since her confinement, nor felt a desire to do so; until at last the bladder became so distended, that the resistance at its neck was overcome, and the urine leaked out at the front, as fast as it was pumped in from the ureters at the back; and it so happened that just as this began, a small slough had separated from the mucous membrane of the posterior wall of the vagina, which had been strongly pressed on by the head for several hours.

4th. Another state, not exactly ranging under any of the former kinds, seems to be of a purely nervous or hysterical character, and mixed up with a certain amount of mauvaise honte. The patient has a decided desire to pass water, and suffers distress from its retention; but has, at the same time, the greatest reluctance to make the necessary effort, and positively refuses to try, if any one, even the nursetender is present, declaring that it would be impossible for her to succeed.

"Under those circumstances, suitable arrangements should be made by the nurse, and the patient then left by herself, for a time, during which she may succeed in accomplishing the desired object; if she does not, some anti-nervous medicine should be given, with strong assurances of its potency in removing such difficulties; let her try again during our absence, and if she has not succeeded when we come to pay our next visit, we must declare that longer delay would be unsafe, that we will wait a little while in the drawing-room, and if she does not then succeed, that we must draw off the water before we leave the house; this generally insures success.

"In many of these cases they do not succeed, because they do not make the proper effort; and this, I believe, is oftentimes, simply because they cannot, and not always because they do not choose; this state of nervous inability ought to meet with much tender consideration. I may observe here, that I have never met with this peculiar form of affection, except in the higher grades of society, and almost always in women of a highly sensitive nervous temperament, some of them having experienced a similar difficulty before marriage, and also under ordinary circumstances distinct from pregnancy.

"Now, is this state which I have just been attempting to describe, analogous to, or identical with another, which I have a few times met with in practice, and which may be thus described: A lady in perfect health retires to her bedroom for the night, and before lying down to rest, attempts to make water, and finds she cannot-she is much surprised-goes to bed, and perhaps falls asleep; in the morning, she is in great distress, but still unable to empty the bladder, and now her pain is so great, she is compelled to seek for assistance -the catheter is introduced, and all her trouble is at an end; or, perhaps, for several days, its use continues to be required, and then all goes on as well as ever; but, in either case, no circumstance of general ill-health, or local derangement or displacement can be discovered. The woman, in fact, is otherwise quite well.

"The year before last a married lady, of a highly nervous temperament, so affected, drove six miles into town to my house, in great torture. I drew off the water, and she required no further assistance.

"Last year, I was urgently summoned to see an equally nervous maiden lady similarly situated; on laying my hand on the abdomen I felt a tumor, as large as a melon, and as hard as a cricket-ball; and per vaginam, it really, at first, suggested the idea of a fibrous tumor of the uterus, this organ being quite displaced. I introduced the catheter, drew off a large accumulation of urine, and the abdominal tumor-which was nothing more than the distended bladder-at once disappeared. The feature in this case which particularly arrested my attention, was the extraordinary hardness and the distinct outline of the abdominal tumor, which would readily have caused it to be mistaken for a solid morbid growth.

"I may here observe that, in the well known case of the virgin mock prophetess, Joanna Southcott, there was felt, by competent judges, a circumscribed tumor in the abdomen, which was supposed to be the gravid uterus. Dr. Reece, in his published history of the case, says: In that part occupied by the womb, there was a firm circumscribed tumor as large as a man's head, bearing the shape of the womb; I have no doubt of its being an enlargement of that organ.' But when she died no tumor existed, and that which was felt during life was attributed to the prophetess having learned to retain the urine until the bladder became considerably distended; which seems highly probable.

"In my case last related, it was necessary to relieve the lady every day for a week; when she perfectly regained the power of micturition. I may just mention, that the remedy which seemed to remove her inability was the ergot of rye; did it do so by stimulating the fibres of the uterus in the first instance, and then, by consent, those of the bladder? Perhaps so; but as the same agent has produced a similar effect in men, a direct influence may be equally admitted."

On the Action of Galvanism upon the Contractile Structures of the Gravid Uterus, and its remedial power in Obstetric Practice. By F. W. MACKENZIE, M. D. ("Proceedings of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society," February 23, 1858.)

In his introductory remarks, the author draws attention to the present state of professional opinion respecting the effective and remedial powers of galvinism upon the gravid uterus, and he pointed out the very different conclusions which different observers had arrived at. In this divided state of opinion, it had appeared to him that some further investigations might be usefully undertaken, and he submitted that two questions of a preliminary nature required