' 
PHYSICAL anp LITERARY. 341 
is at leaft immediately dependent on their 
influence ; fince opium, which produces 
its effects, foley, by affeCting the nervous 
fyftem (m, 1 & 0), deftroys thofe powers 
fo fuddenly. I know it ‘has been lately 
argued by a celebrated author, that the 
irritability of the mufcles muft be inde- 
pendent of the nerves, becaufe the muf- 
cles of animals preferve a power of mo- 
ving when irritated, for fome time after 
the communication between them and the 
brain, by means of the nerves, is cut off *. 
But, fince a folution of opium applied 
to the abdominal mufcles of frogs, mere- 
ly by its action on the nerves, puts a flop 
to the irritability or moving power of the 
heart, much fooner than the deftruction 
of the brain and fpinal marrow (g) ; Is 
it not reafonable to conclude, that the 
tremulous motions of irritated mufcles 
after their nerves are tied, proceed from 
the integrity of the nervous filaments be- 
low the ligature, and the nervous power 
| full 
* Aca Gotting. vol. 2.p. 134, &2. 
