authors' abstract of this paper issued 

 by the bibliographic service, february 23 



A NOTE ON AN INHIBITORY RESPIRATORY REFLEX 

 IN THE FROG AND SOME OTHER ANIMALS 



SWALE VINCENT AND A. T. CAMERON 



Department of Physiology, Biochemistry , and Pharmacology, University of 

 Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada 



Some of the results stated for the frog in the present commu- 

 nication were read to the Scientific Club of Winnipeg on February 

 24, 1914. At that time we were not acquainted with any pre- 

 vious account of the phenomenon, but subsequently discovered 

 Axenfeld's paper, 1 published in 1911. This appears to be a 

 preliminary communication and contains no references to litera- 

 ture. We have failed to find any subsequent communication by 

 Axenfeld or any other author upon this reflex in the frog, and 

 since Axenfeld does not appear to state fully the facts of the case, 

 we have decided to make a brief communication at the present 

 time. 



Moreover, the observations on other animals made by several 

 previous observers seem to have been overlooked by the most 

 recent writers. Starling, writing in Schafer's Text-book, 15 says: 



A pure expiratory reflex may also be brought about by gentle stimu- 

 lation of the nasal mucous membrane of the rabbit, as by application 

 of chloroform vapor. A similar expiratory pause is caused in many 

 animals by dipping the nose into water, or even by plunging the lower 

 half of the body into water (Tauchreflex) . The temperature of the 

 water is of no influence on the results of the experiment. Fredericq 9 

 has shown that a specially long expiratory pause may be produced in a 

 diving animal, such as the duck, by allowing a stream of water to flow 

 on its beak. The teleological importance of these reflex cessations of 

 respiration, which have been classed together by Miescher-Rlisch 13 as 

 apnoea spuria is obvious. 



We have found other references to the authors here quoted, 

 including a paper by Foa 8 modifying Miescher's classification of 

 apnoeal reflexes. We have, unfortunately, not been able to- 



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