320 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



to take for granted that a medicine, which 

 can be fafely admitted into the ftomachj 

 may therefore be fafely injeded into thd 

 cavity of the abdomen, as feems to have 

 been done by fome of late, who have pro- 

 pofed to cure the hydrops afcites by aftriri- 

 gent and antifceptic injedions made into' 

 the cavity of the abdomen, after draw- 

 ing off the extravafated water by meansf 

 of the trocar. 



2. These effedls of opiurii, poured into' 

 the Cavity of the abdomen, feem to prove* 

 the peritoneum to be furnifhed with 

 llerves, but do not' render it altogether 

 certain ; fince, as my very ingenious col- 

 league Dr Cullen, on my telling him this 

 experiment, fuppofed, the opium may 

 poffibly affedl the nerves of the bowels 

 covered by the peritoneum, much in the 

 fame way as I have already proved it to 

 affe(5l the cutis 'vera through the cuti- 

 cula. 



3. The fixth experiment fo obvioufly 

 proves, that opium impairs the moving 

 power of the heart, even when not ap- 

 plied 



