532 Meeting of the British Association. [ Oct., 
Three papers relating to the question of the existence of a special 
organ of language in the brain were read: one by Dr. Paul Broca, 
who was the first to point to the left third frontal convolution of 
the cerebrum as the seat of disease in cases of Aphasia; the second 
by Dr. Hughlings Jackson, who has studied most carefully and 
successfully the pathology of the brain ; and the third by Mr. Dunn. 
Dr. Broca classified the various forms of loss of power of speech 
according to their causes, whether paralysis of the muscles, loss of 
general intelligence, or loss of the special power of the use of words. 
It was this last power, the loss of which is called Aphasia, for 
which he claimed a special organ in the left frontal convolutions. 
In the discussion many cases were brought forward by the various 
physicians present, which tended on the whole to show that the 
evidence for localizing the power of articulate speech or verbification 
in a particular frontal convolution was not sufficiently satisfactory. 
The subject is one which must still occupy the attention of phy- 
siologists, but the direction of opinion seems to be against M. 
Broca’s theory. 
The Edinburgh committee appointed to experiment and report 
on the “Influence of Mercury on the Secretion of the Bile,” gave 
an account of their researches, being represented by Dr. Arthur 
Gamgee and Dr. Hughes Bennett. The experiments had been 
performed on dogs and were of the most careful and satisfactory 
character, so as to elicit the highest praise from all the members of 
the Section. Fistula had been made into the bile ducts, and thus 
the amount of bile secreted was observed. It was found from these 
researches to be in a normal condition much less than has been 
usually supposed, and it was definitely proved that the administration 
of small doses of mercury did not increase its flow. Dr. Gross of 
New York wished the experiments had been made on men, but was 
reminded that it was not possible to make fistulee in human subjects 
at will, and that the action of the drug on the dog was in all other 
respects identical with the action on man, and hence warranted the 
conclusion that in the particular of bile-secretion the action was 
the same. 
Dr. Thompson Dickson read an essay “On Vitality as a Mode 
of Motion,” in which the old views of the correlation of the vital 
and physical forces were reiterated, the objectionable word vitality 
being, however, used, and the formative or plastic force of living 
matter being confused with the modes of motion of which it is the 
seat. 
Botany was of course in full vigour at this meeting. Many 
papers on the occurrence of rare or new plants were read, as also 
some important ones on structural Botany. 
Dr. Karl Koch gave an interesting sketch of his researches on 
