404 BEYIEWS. 



foot, the leg was drawn up and the muscles of the jaws were suddenly convulsed, 

 and on releasing the toe these effects instantly ceased. I then closely inspected the 

 toe. The nail was perfect ; there was not the least swelling or redness in the sur- 

 rounding parts, nor any tenderness or uneasiness felt when I compressed the toe 

 laterally, or moved it, held thus, in any direction ; but on the bulb of the toe nearly 

 at the point where the circumgyrations of the cuticle centre, there was a very small 

 elevation, as if a bit of gravel less than the head of a small pin had been there 

 pressed in beneath the cuticle. There was not the least redness on this spot nor 

 any sensation or effect produced by passing my finger over its surface ; but on com- 

 pressing it with my finger and thumb against the nail very cautiously, a slight con- 

 vulsion instantly ensued, I asked the patient if anything pricked him ? He said 

 " No, but something made him feel very odd." On examining this part well with 

 a pocket lens, no scratch or puncture of the cuticle could be discovered. I then 

 with a pair of scissors included and snipped away the slightly elevated part, but not 

 so deeply as to denude the cutis beneath. In the bit of cuticle thus removed I ex- 

 pected to find some point of a thorn or particle of sand, but could not detect any- 

 thing of the kind. I then pressed the toe in every direction ; the strange sensation 

 was gone and never returned. I do not know that any member of patient's family 

 had ever been under treatment for insanity, but two of his uncles, and I believe an 

 aunt, were suicides, and the patient himself many years afterwards was " found 

 drowned " by the cautious verdict of an inquest." 



Every physician lias probably from time to time met with kindred, 

 although much less remarkable cases, resulting from reflex irritation ; 

 we have ourselves, more than once, seen cases of hiccup, which had 

 for several days, resisted all the ordinary remedies, stopped at once 

 and permanently, by making an incision for the evacuation of a 

 small quantity of pus from the sole of the foot ; we have also wit- 

 nessed an instance in which a patient suffering from erysipelas in the 

 lower limb, was suddenly, at midnight, seized with violent, maniacal 

 delirium, shouting so as to disturb the neighbourhood, and plunging 

 and kicking so as to be with difficulty restrained. An incision made 

 along the side of the tibia, of which the patient was apparently uncon~ 

 scious, gave exit to some grumous pus ; instantly the sufferer became 

 composed, and in less than half an hour was sleeping soundly ; the 

 delirium did not return. But the question is, how are such reflex 

 phenomena to be accounted for ? does not the contemplation of the 

 theories now generally adopted as to the forces acting in the inorga- 

 nic world, induce us to suppose that, in the living organism, analogous 

 molecular changes, altogether independent of the blood-vessels, may 

 give rise to many of the phenomena in question ? In such cases, we 

 confess, that analogy is an unsafe guide, but, on the other hand, it 

 is difficult, if not impossible, not to be led some little way by it. 



In an appendix, which forms a goodly portion of the volume, 

 Dr. Brown- Sequard considers the objections to the opinions which 

 he has advanced, and upon whose full discussion he had not been 

 willing to enter in the lectures themselves ; while in a subsequent 

 portion of the same, he deals with the application of some of the 

 facts and views expounded in his lectures, to the treatment of 

 disease. Of the latter portion it is not our duty here to speak ; and 

 to the former it is in a great degree unnecessary to advert, in as 

 much as the " examination of objections" contained in it has for along 



