ON THE MOTIONS AND SOUNDS OF THE HEART. 177 
experiments less ambiguous and more pointed and conclusive. 
Under such impressions, the Reporter felt himself at liberty, if 
not positively called on, to advert to various questions above 
alluded to, which had not been handled by former Committees, 
provided that, by any unlooked-for good fortune, if not through 
some new and happier experimental combinations, he should 
succeed in eliciting pertinent and decisive facts. Acting on 
such views, the Committee has put to the test of experiment, 
to a greater or less extent, several of those questions, with 
results now to be stated. 
It may be proper to state, that the instrument used in 
auscultation was exclusively the flexible ear tube; the wooden 
stethoscope, comparatively inconvenient in almost all cases, 
being found quite unsuited for such experiments. 
OsserRvATION I. 
June 11th.—Subject, a Donkey about ten weeks old and 
sound in all respects. Phenomena: Various spontaneous tr- 
regularities in the cardiac action and sounds ;—jerking upwards 
Sc. of periphery of internal valves in systole ;—appearances 
of auricles in action ;—effect of valvular obstruction on first 
sound. Heart, when exposed, acting strongly and quickly. 
Second sound indistinct, and loud murmur with the first 
sound. 
S. 1. On placing the finger on the outer periphery of the 
mitral valves, an upward jerk and thrilling motion sensible, 
similar to that observed over the arterial valves. 
8.2. At the moment of auricular systole, were noted a 
dimpling of the appendix, and an abrupt contraction in all 
its dimensions, and a sinking (as it were) downwards and in- 
wards, followed by a gradual return to the state of promi- 
nence and distention that characterize the auricular diastole. 
Several times was observed a slight and partial active contrac- 
tion of the auricle, followed by relaxation in the intervals of 
full and complete auricular systole and diastole, as if from 
transient spasmodic disturbance. 
S. 3. The second cardiac sound observed at intervals to 
be for many minutes together wholly wanting, without obvious 
cause; no operation upon the mitral or other valves having 
been hitherto attempted. 
8.4. The left auricle was inverted successively by the 
finger and by a probe, so as to impede the action of the 
mitral valves; the finger was sensible, when placed in the 
mitral orifice, of an abrupt though gentle concussion in the 
systole of the ventricle, and (it seemed to me) as if it were 
VOL. Ix. 1840. N 
