470 



Monthly Returns of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages, registered 

 in the eight principal towns of Scotland ; with the causes of 

 death at four periods of life. — From the Registrar-Genercd. 



Quarterly Returns of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages, registered 

 in the Divisions, Counties, and Districts of Scotland. — From 

 the Registrar-General. 



Monday, March 2, 1857. 



The Right Rev. BISHOP TERROT, Vice-President, in the 

 Chair. 



The following Communications were read : — 



1. On the Functions of the Spinal Cord. By Professor Hughes 

 Bennett. 



The object of Dr Bennett's communication was to unite two se- 

 parate kinds of research, which of late had been directed towards 

 advancing our knowledge of the structure and functions of the spinal 

 cord. From these it would, he thought, appear, that the views con- 

 sidered to be so firmly established by the genius and labours of 

 Charles Bell, required great modification. Dr Bennett then gave a 

 sketch of these views, and of the present opinions of physiologists re- 

 garding the functions of the spinal cord. He indicated certain facts 

 which had long been recognised as difficult of explanation in accord- 

 ance with them. He then described the results of several experiments 

 by M. Brown-Sequard on the columns of the cord in livinor ani- 

 mals, which he himself (Dr B.) had witnessed, and which satisfied 

 him that, on the posterior columns being cut across, increase of sen- 

 sibility in the inferior extremities was the consequence, instead of 

 paralysis. He also described the discoveries I'ecently made in the 

 structure of the spinal cord, by Budge, Kblliker, Lockhart Clarke, 

 Stilling, Remack, Wagner, Van der Kolk, Schiling, Kupffner, and 

 especially by Owsjannikow. He pointed out how the structural dis- 

 coveries threw light on the experimental ones, and from the whole 

 inquiry drew the following conclusions : — 



1. Although the anterior and posterior roots of the spinal nerves 

 may still be considered motor and sensitive, we can no longer 

 apply these terms to the anterior and po.sterior columns of the 

 cord. 



