A variety of curara acting as muscle-poison / Joseph Tillie.

  • Tillie, Joseph.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A variety of curara acting as muscle-poison / Joseph Tillie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    prolonged periods of stoppage in extreme diastole, became very irregular. During the period of arrest in diastole, the heart readily contracted on stimulation. For example—0‘00015 gramme of the poison, in solution in about half a minim of distilled water, was applied at 3.48 p.m. to the heart of a frog, the rate being 56 per minute, and the systole and diastole normal. In 17 minutes, the rate was 44 per minute, and the heart was acting more vigorously, the diastolic expansion being greater and the ventricle paler during systole. In 42 minutes, the rate had fallen to 24 per minute, the slowing being due mainly to the lengthening of the pause in diastole. The diastolic expansion was a little less, and the systole more complete than before. In 58 minutes, the rate was 16 per minute, and, then, for 2 hours the rate varied quite irregularly, but rarely exceeded 5 per minute. Pauses in complete diastole continuing for from 40 to 100 seconds frequently occurred, both auricles and ventricle being greatly distended. When the heart resumed pulsating, sometimes the auricular contractions took place first, sometimes the ventricle acted alone during a few minutes, and sometimes the whole heart seemed to contract at .once. The infrequent ventricular contractions were extremely vigorous. After 4 hours the rate rarely exceeded 1 per minute, but, at any time, slight mechanical stimulation during a pause caused contraction, although after stimulation had been several times repeated the diastolic expansion seemed smaller. On the following day the heart was found motionless, with the ventricle moderately contracted, but not affected by mechanical or electrical stimulation. When the dose was considerably in excess of the minimum- lethal, the ventricle was arrested within 10 or 20 minutes, but retained its excitability for about 20 minutes longer, when it passed into a condition of extreme and permanent systole. The auricles were affected after the ventricle. For example :—In a frog weighing 19 grammes, 0D0096 gramme of curara in solution in 35 minims of distilled water, was applied in small drops, during 5 minutes, to the exposed heart, which was acting normally at the rate of 40 per minute. In 9 minutes, the rate was 32 per minute; the ventricle was paler during systole than ^before, and the diastole was less complete, one side of the