Notes of three lectures on the physiological action of strychnia / delivered by George Harley.

  • Harley, George, 1829-1896.
Date:
[1856]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes of three lectures on the physiological action of strychnia / delivered by George Harley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF STRYCHNIA. After one or two preliminary remarks, Dr. Harley pro- ceeded to demonstrate by direct experiment — lstly, the manner in which strychnia enters the system; 2ndly, its mode of action ; and 3rdly, the way in which it destroys animal life. The following is a brief summary of the remarks made :— To the first question—How is strychnia or any of its com- pounds, all of which have a similar physiological action, re- ceived into the system ?—the answer is, by absorption ; the manner of this absorption being very various. The poison is absorbed by the mucous membrane of the stomach and intes- tines, when administered by the mouth, as in the case of the animal now operated upon (a frog) ; it enters directly into the circulation when introduced through a wound, as is now done. (Some solution of strychnia was introduced into the cellular tissue of another frog.) It is absorbed by the skin, as will be shown in the case of this third frog, upon whose back a few drops of acetate of strychnine are now poured. The poison may, in fact, be introduced into the body in every conceivable manner : by the mouth or by the rectum ; by the cellular tissue or by the organs ; by the epidermis covering the external surface, or by the serous membranes lining the interior cavities of the body. When once the poison has entered the blood, its mode of action is in all cases identical. The time required for the development of the poisonous qualities of strychnine varies, however, in different species of animals, and even individuals of the same species, being influ- enced by the age, strength, &c., of the animal. The rapidity