280 On the Agency of Nerves, 



ficienttojustify the strong language in which the conclusion drawn 

 from it is there expressed. *' M. Fauvel, Chirurgien, a fait 

 voir d VAcademis, un fetus sans cervelle, ni cervelet, ni moelle 

 ^pini^re, quoique tr^s-bien conforme d'ailleurs. II etoit venu k 

 terme, avpit vecu deux heures, et donne quelques signes de sen- 

 timent, quand on lui a verse I'eau du Bapt^me sur la t^te. Ce 

 n'est pas la premiere fois que Ton a vA ce fait, dont on tire une 

 terrible objection contre les esprits animaux, qui doivent s'en- 

 gendrer dans le cerveau, ou tout au moins dans la moelle de 

 I'epine et que Ton croit communement si necessaires k toute 

 I'economie animale." — Hist, de VAcad,^ S^c. 1711. p. 33. 



The other case referred to by Le Gallois is also stated, al- 

 though briefly, in such a manner as to leave no room for doubt 

 that it had been carefully examined. 



" M. Mery a vii un fetus male, venu k terme, qui n'avoit ni 

 cerveau, ni moelle de I'^pine, et qui a vecu vingt-une heures, et 

 a pris quelque nourriture. La dure et pie mere faisoient canal 

 dans les vertebres." — Hist, de VAcad., 8fc. 1712. p. 51. 



I shall only refer to three observations by our own contempo- 

 raries, which appear to me strongly to confirm the conclusion 

 naturally drawn from the above. 



The first is a case of which we have a short account by Mr. 

 Lawrence, although he did not see the mal-formed child till it 

 had been kept so long that several particulars could not be as- 

 certained. He states, however, what his well-known accuracy 

 would have prevented his stating, unless he had satisfied himself 

 of the fact, that " it had neither brain nor spinal marrow ; the 

 whole of the spinal processes were deficient, and the place of 

 the medulla spinalis supplied by a vascular membrane, like that 

 which covers the basis cranii in acephalous children, united in 

 the same way to the surrounding skin. The heart, lungs, and 

 liver, were deficient; the ribs, short and imperfect, lay close to 

 each other, and did not form a thoracic cavity ; the face was 

 mal-formed in many respects ; the fingers and toes were under 

 the usual number ; with these exceptions, the formation of the 

 body, and the size of the limbs, were tolerably natural*'' 



* Meiiico-L'hirurgical Tmnsadions, vol. v. p. 1()8, 



