130 ON THE NATURE AND PRINCIPLES OF 



particular views of the author, upon each of the 

 following, in addition to other less important topics 

 viz. the reciprocal influence of the different parts 

 of the nervous system upon the circulation of the 

 blood, and of the circulation upon the action of the 

 nerves ; the peculiar functions of the ganglionic 

 nervous system; the chemical composition, and 

 minute anatomical structure of the blood in general, 

 and of that in the inflamed part in particular ; the 

 mechanism of the circulation, and more especially 

 the nature of the forces carrying the blood through 

 the capillai'ies ; the physical, vital, and, according to 

 some, electro-vital properties of the latter vessels ; 

 the mode of operation of the self-coagulating and 

 self-organising principle of the blood ; the order of 

 development and minute peculiarities of the pheno- 

 mena thus induced ; and the nature, origin, and 

 action of the " specific" or unknown, causes which so 

 frequently and so powerfully modify those effects. 



Now an examination of some of these points 

 certainly constitutes an essential preliminary to the 

 study of the pathology of inflammation, but they 

 need not be continually introduced in the discussion 

 of the greater question ; and there are others, per- 

 haps a majority of them, which the present imperfect 

 state of our knowledge will not allow us satisfactorily 

 to decide, and which a spirit of philosophical pru- 

 dence would therefore rather reserve for future 

 investigation. 



Leaving, then, for another opportunity, or for 

 other persons, the consideration of these and various 

 other interesting and important matters connected 



