IN THE KIDNEY. 37 



is dependent on, and regulated by, the degree of the 

 compression of the blood contained within those 

 vessels. 



My chief object in undertaking this investigation 

 was to endeavour to extend the application of ordi- 

 nary physical laws to the explanation of some of the 

 morbid and healthy phenomena of the animal body : 

 for it seemed to me that if a few simple general 

 principles could be established, we might then hope 

 to understand more clearly the true nature of disease, 

 and perhaps ultimately be enabled to treat it with 

 greater success. 



EXPERIMENTS ON THE fe KIDNEY.* 

 CLASS I. 



ILLUSTRATING THE EFFECTS OF VENOUS OBSTRUCTION. 



A. The closure of the renal vein by ligature being 

 immediate and complete. 



Exp. 1. The left renal vein of a young weak 

 rabbit was tied, and the animal killed at the end of 

 ten minutes. The bladder was distended with urine, 

 which, when tested by nitric acid and heat, presented 



* Six of the experiments on venous obstruction were published in 

 the Medical Gazette of June 1842 ; but as they serve to render the 

 series more complete, and as the weight of the healthy and engorged 

 kidneys was carefully ascertained, I have been induced to re- 

 capitulate them. 



D 3 



