Note 63 — Chapter II · OF THE INFLUENCE OF THE DEATH OF THE HEART, OVER THAT OF THE BRAIN.

A very considerable quantity of air can be forced into the veins of an animal, without causing its death, provided it be not pushed in suddenly. In all these cases, it is understood, that the quantity that can be thus introduced is in proportion to the size of the animal. I have before me at this moment the details of an experiment that I made on a horse at Alfort with M. Dupui, and in which, before the animal died, I was able, in thirty seven minutes, to inject quickly into the veins forty syringes full of air, and three syringes full into the carotid artery. (The capacity of the syringe was seventeen centilitres.) The animal died three minutes after the last injection. At the examination of the body, we found air in the azygos vein and in the thoracic duct, which contained much lymph, as well as the lymphatic vessels of the internal surface of the lungs. The heart was enormously distended with air mixed with a small quantity of blood.