INFLUENCE O* THE BRAIN ON THE ACTION OP THE HEART. 



36T 



I killed '""?"»:=- 



move this* 



have on the temperature of an animal under the circum- 

 stances of the last experiment, independently of any che- 

 mical action on the blood : since, if no chemical changes 

 were produced, the circulation could not be maintained, 

 and if the circulation ceased, the cooling properties of the 

 air must be more confined to the thorax, and not com- 

 municated in an equal degree to the more distant parts. The 

 following e.'^periment, however, was instituted as likely to 

 afford a nearer approximation to the truth, than any other 

 that could be devised. 



Exp, 8. I procured two rabbits of the same size and Exp. 8. At 

 colour: the temperature of the room was 64 

 one of them by dividing the spinal marrow, and imme- 

 diately, having made an opening into the left side of the 

 thorax, I tied a ligature round the base of the heart, so as 

 to stop the circulation. The wound in the skin was closed 

 by a suture. An opening was then made into the trachea, 

 and the apparatus for artificial respiration being fitted into 

 it, the lungs were inflated, and then allowed to collapse as 

 in the former experiment, about 36 times in a minute. This 

 was continued for an hour and a half, and the temperature 

 was examined at different periods. The temperature of 

 the room being the same, I killed the second rabbit in the 

 same manner, and measured the temperature at corres- 

 ponding periods. The comparative temperature of the two 

 dead animals, under these circumstances, will be seen in the 

 following table. 



Time. 



Before the ex- 

 periment. 

 SOmin.aft 



45 . 



60 



75 



90 



Dead Rabbit whose lungs 

 were inflated. 



Therm, in the 

 Rectum. 



Therm, in 

 the Thorax 



100 

 97 

 95| 

 94 

 92| 

 91 



86 



Dead Rabbit -whose lungs 

 were not inflated. 



Therm, in. the 

 Rectum. 



100 

 98 



94| 



93 



91j 



Therm, in 

 the Thorax 



88| 



Tabulated re- 

 sults. 



la 



