Prize thesis. An experimental inquiry, concerning the presence of alcohol in the ventricles of the brain, after poisoning by that liquid; together with experiments, illustrative of the physiological action of alcohol : for which, a gold medal was awarded by the Medical faculty of the University of Edinburgh / by John Percy.

Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Prize thesis. An experimental inquiry, concerning the presence of alcohol in the ventricles of the brain, after poisoning by that liquid; together with experiments, illustrative of the physiological action of alcohol : for which, a gold medal was awarded by the Medical faculty of the University of Edinburgh / by John Percy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    In order to make the application of the cam- phor test, a drop of the supernatant stratum is to be removed by means of the pipette, and depo- sited on a small fragment of camphor placed in the field of a simple microscope. If the liquid be alcohol, it will immediately be traversed in all directions by currents proceeding from the cam- phor, which will, in this case, be quickly dis- solved ; but the alcohol will rapidly evaporate, and leave a well-defined patch of camphor, con- sisting of little masses mixed with plumose cris- tallization. By the above methods of procedure, a single drop of alcohol will be found sufficient for many experiments. EXPERIMENT I. At 40 minutes after 6 a.m. precisely, I injected ^vi. of alcohol, sp. gr. 850°, through an elastic catheter, into the stomach of a large full-grown mongrel dog. Entire loss of voluntary power almost immediately succeeded; the animal fell prostrate on one side, and never afterwards moved a limb. 6h- 15m‘ Evacuation of feces took place, the