tion of the brain and medulla oblongata, there was
still a slight circulation in the web ; the capillary
circulation in the lung was good, and the beat
of the heart vigorous.
The experiment was then made upon an eel.
The medulla oblongata and brain were destroyed.
An hour afterwards all respiratory movements were
found to have ceased, but the circulation in the
tail, and the beat of the caudal ventricle remained
p-ood. This was still the case at eleven o’clock. OT
he next morning the circulation had ceased.
It is quite obvious, from these experiments that
the circulation no more depends upon the medulla
oblongata than upon the medulla spinalis. I had
previously determined that it does not depend upon
the mere acts of respiration ; for in the toad, in
which respiration was entirely arrested, and from
the lung of which Plate VIII. was taken, the pulmonary
circulation continued unimpaired during
more than four hours.
The conclusion to which we are led, then, is still
that of Legallois, in opposition to that of M.
Flourens : “ En un mot, soit par ce procédé, soit
par celui des ligatures, il n’y a aucune portion de
moelle épinière qu’on ne puisse empêcher de coopérer
à entretenir la circulation sans que cette fonction
soit arrêtée ; il n’y en a aucune qui ne puisse
devenir suffisante pour l’entretenir ; et l’on trouve
qu’à tous les âges une portion quelconque fournit
au coeur des forces capables d’entretenir la circulation
dans toutes les parties qui reçoivent leurs nerfs
de cette portion.” 1 Only we cannot assent to the
concluding part of the paragraph. “ Mais, de
quelque manière qu’on s’y prenne, toutes les fois
que l’on va jusqu’à anéantir l’action de la moelle
dans toute son étendue, la circulation est arrêtée
sans retour.” 2
5. On the Effects upon any given part, of removing
that portion of the Spinal Marrow, from which it
derives its Nerves.
Upon this question Legallois3 and M. Flourens4
were agreed.
But this first view of the subject seems to
be at variance with M. Flourens’s more recent
opinion, and with his experiments just quoted. The
spinal marrow in frogs, and in some kinds of fish
was destroyed, yet the circulation in the lower
1 OEuvres, pp. 369—370. J See p. 136. * Ibid.
4 Du Système Nerveux, p. 196.