Secreting Poicer of Animals. 259 



nexion of the ganglian nerves, that it is impossible during- life 

 wholly to deprive any secreting organ of nervous influence. 

 The object of my experiments was not to shew, that when a secret- 

 ing surface is deprived of the whole of its nervous influence, secre- 

 tion is prevented ; but, that when any considerable part of it is 

 withdrawn, the properties of the secreting fluid are so altered, 

 that it is no longer fitted for its purposes in the animal economy. 

 Although I consider what is said above as decisive of the 

 question before us, were it not for too much extending the 

 limits of this paper, I should be happy to make a few observa- 

 tions on several interesting questions relating to it, on which 

 Dr. Alison touches. On one of these as being extremely curious, 

 I shall beg leave to detain you a few moments. In the 122d 

 page. Dr. Alison observes, '< In the child of whom we have an 

 account by Mr. Lawrence, in his paper in the Medico- Chirurgical 

 Transactions, Vol. V., page 165, there was neither brain nor 

 cerebellum. This child lived four days, and the secretions from 

 its stomach, bowels, and kidneys, seem to have been quite natu- 

 ral. Surely this is sufficient to show that the division of the 

 eighth pair of nerves and of the spinal marrow in the neck, which 

 stopped the secretions of gastric juice and of urine in those 

 experiments, could not have acted by cutting off an influence 

 essential to secretion, coming from the brain." The observation 

 of Mr. Lawrence, that there existed over the foramen magnum 

 " a soft tumour about equal in size to the end of the thumb,"- 

 a circumstance of considerable moment in the case, is over-; 

 looked in this account. In reasoning on it. Dr. Alison forgets 

 that if it proves any thing it proves too much. The child of 

 course respired. To respiration the sensorial power is necessary. 

 In the 24th volume of the Edinburgh Review, the reader will find 

 the best account of well authenticated cases analogous to the case 

 of Mr. Lawrence, perhaps any where to be met witn. In some of 

 these not only the respiration but the more evident sensorial func- 

 tions existed. In one related by Dr. Heysham of Carlisle, there 

 was nothing in place of brain but a brown vascular mass. '- There 

 was not the least appearance of a cerebrum, cerebellum, or any 

 medullary substance whatever ; yet this child was full grown, 

 R 2 



