On Pil/ung Cattle. 73 



" On Thursday the 15th of July 1S02, the following^ 

 experiment was made at Mr. Giblet's, in Bond-street: A 

 very fine ox was pithed, as it is termed, by Benjamin Bar- 

 tholomew, who has performed this operation more than 

 twenty different times, and is considered to be very expert 

 in the mode of doing it. I begged that he would take some 

 pains, so as to do it in the most effectual manner. 



" The instrument he used was in the shape of a brick- 

 layer's trowel, made sharp at the point, and having a guard 

 at the shoulder, to prevent the Wade from being buried in 

 the neck. 



" He plunged it, with great dexterity, into .the canal 

 containing" the spinal marrow, and the animal instantly 

 dropped, but the breathing continued, the motions of the 

 eye and eye-lids were perfect, and the whole tj.ce lost no 

 part of its animation. 



" This being ascertained by observation for ten minutes, 

 and the animal not being sufficiently quiet to admit of the 

 throat being cut, it was knocked on the head, and every 

 appearance of animation in the countenance immediately 

 ceased, and the breathing stopped. 



*' The spinal marrow was afterwards examined: it was 

 found con)pleteIy divided, but too low in the neck, the 

 wound havi-ng been made one inch and a half below the 

 origin of the nerves that supplv the diaphragm. 



*' That a division of this part of the spinal marrow docs 

 not deprive an animal of life, has been known to anato- 

 mists lor many years ; and the causes of its failure cannot 

 be better explained tlun by extracting an account of some 

 experiments made bv Mr. Cruickshank, in the year 1776, 

 at which I was present, and gave my assistance. Thcv 

 are published in the 8jlh volume of the I'hilosophical 

 JVansactions. 



*' Experiment VI. ylprit 19, 1776- — T divided the spinal 

 marrow of a dog, between the last vertebra of the neck and 

 lir.-it of the back. The muscles of the trunk of the body, 

 but particularly those of the hind lens, appeared instantly 

 relaxed ; the leos continued supple, like thoseiof an anima^ 

 killed by electricity. 1'he heart, on performing the opera- 

 lion, ceased for a stroke or two, then went on slow and 

 full, and in ai)out a quarter of an hour after the pulse was 

 160 in a minute. Respiration was performed by means of 

 the diaphragm only, which acted very strongly for some 

 hours. The opcratioii was performed about a quarter of an 

 hour before twelve at noon; about four in the afternoor* 

 the j;iiUe was niii'tv only in a minute, and the heat of the 



body 



