The physiological actions of dajaksch, an arrow poison used in Borneo / by Peter M. Braidwood, M.D.

  • Braidwood, Peter Murray.
Date:
1864
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The physiological actions of dajaksch, an arrow poison used in Borneo / by Peter M. Braidwood, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    renewed, a dose of dajaksch was given, with tlie result that it acted on the heart exactly as it had done in the case of nonnal healthy- frogs. Lastly, The vagus was divided in its course, and on tlie application of the poison the effect on the heart was exactly the same as in both the previous instances, proving that dajaksch does not paralyze the heart through the vagus. What further confirms this conclusion is the fact that irritation of the vagus produces only temporary paralysis of the heart; whgi-eas, after the use of dajaksch, the heart cannot by any means, mechanical or electrical, be re- excited to contraction. Besides the circumstance that, as the results of experimental observation, the cardiac branches supplied by the spinal cord seem to be for the most part sensory nerves, this source is further excluded by the following consideration,—That the paralysis of sensation and motion do not set in, in the case of poisoning with dajaksch, till long after the heart has been completely paralyzed. Moreover, post-mortem research does not lead us to suspect paralysis through the spinal cord. Therefore, nothing now remains to us except to conclude that the paralysis of the heart results fi-om the action of this poison on the sympathetic cardiac ganglia. Positive proof of the foregoing assumption, and an explanation of the manner in which the paralysis attacks the several chambers of the heart, is afforded us by the following fact:—If the heart be removed from the body immediately after it is ajjparently paralyzed, but while the animal possesses general sensation and motion unim- paired, and Stannius experiment be made on it, we have this result,—that on exciting the ganglion of the sinus venosus with a strong stream of electricity, the auricles are obsei-ved to contract twice slightly, but the ventricle not in the slightest degi-ee; whereas, if the auricles be separated from the ventricle, neither con- tract on being electrically iiTitated. Conclusions.—We may conclude, then,— \st, That this anOW-poison, dajaksch, produces death by para- lyzing the heart; which is proved further by the fact, that, after ligature of the heart, death results in the same way and in about the same time as after poisoning with dajaksch. 2c?, That the cessation of the cardiac contractions is brought about through a paralj^sis of the cardiac ganglia of the sympathetic, exactly as the same is seen on performing Stannius' experiment. In other words, that with this poison we have a much finer means of performing Stannius' experiment than the knife and forceps afford us. 3c?, Hence, that the ventricle first ceases to contract, because the ganglia situated between it and the auricles, and which for the most part supply tlie ventricular sympathetic nerves, are first paralyzed. Then that the auricles become motionless after the ganglia supplying them (the ganglion of the sinus venosus in frogs) are paralyzed.