662 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 
vessel in man when loss of voice isa common symptom due to 
pressure of the aneurism upon the nerve producing paralysis of 
the muscles supplied by it. 
This is the pathology of that disease in horses known as roaring ; 
the crico-arytenoid muscle of the left side of the larnyx is paralysed, 
the paralysis being caused by injury to the recurrent nerve. 
Such being the case, it struck me that if the nerve could be cut 
in the neck and replanted into the vagus, that not only would it 
be freed from further injury from the aorta, but that in cases of 
disease it might be regenerated and in turn regenerate the muscles 
at fault in roaring. 
Having obtained a license from the Government to experiment 
upon donkeys, I carried out several experiments in this direction 
in the Royal Veterinary College, London. I had intended to do 
twelve cases of transplanting, but my first attempts were so 
completely successful as to preclude the necessity of further 
experiment. 
Under chloroform the recurrent larnygeal and vagus nerves 
were exposed by dissection at the junction of the middle and upper 
third of the neck ; the recarrent was then cut and looped through 
a slit made in the vagus with a scalpel ; a catgut suture lightly now 
fixed the nerves together, and the wound in the neck was aseptic- 
ally stitched and dressed. 
Upon section of the nerve distinct roaring was immediately 
produced in the donkey, and this continued for about three weeks 
when improvement could be observed ; the animal was then turned 
out near Hampstead and seen from time to time for eighteen 
months, the breathing became perfectly sound. It is, therefore, 
possible to transplant the recurrent nerve with impunity, and 
there are now no theoretical reasons at least why other nerves 
should not be dealt with in a similar manner. I have thought 
that in those cases of loss of voice in man from aneurism of the 
arch of the aorta that transplantation of the recurrent might be 
tried. 
In conclusion, I may may say that up to the date of my experi- 
ments in this direction, physiologists held the firm opinion that 
nerve could not be transplanted, and, therefore, from a purely 
scientific point apart from its practical bearing upon veterinary 
surgery, the experiment thus described is not devoid of interest. 
