60 Glasgow Literary Society. 
raising this wonderful agent to its expected rank, among the 
ministers of health and life to man. 
©] would, however, beg leave to suggest another nervous chan- 
nel, which | conceive to be a still readier and more powerful one, 
to the action of the heart and lungs than the phrenicnerve. Ifa 
longitudinal incision be made, as is frequently done for aneurism, 
through the integuments of the neck at the outer edge of the 
sterno-mastoideus muscle, about half-way between the clavicle 
and angle of the lower jaw; then on turning over the edge of 
this muscle, we bring into view the throbbing carotid, on the 
outside of which, the par vagum, and great sympathetic nerve, 
lie together in one sheath. Here, therefore, they may both be 
directly touched and pressed by a blunt metallic conductor. These 
nerves communicate directly, or indirectly, with the phrenic; and 
the superficial nerve of the heart is sent off from the sympathetic, 
‘¢ Should, however, the phrenic nerve be taken, that of the left 
side is the preferable of thetwo. From the position of the heart, 
the left phrenic differs a little in its course from the right. It 
passes over the pericardium, covering the apex of the heart. 
‘* While the point of one metallic conductor is applied to the 
nervous cords above described, the other knob ought to be firmly 
pressed against the side of the person, immediately under the 
cartilage of the seventh rib. The skin should be moistened with 
a solution of common salt, or, what is better, a hot saturated so- 
lution of sal-ammoniac, by which means the electric energy will 
be more effectually conveyed through the cuticle, so as to com- 
plete the Voltaic chain. 
“* To lay bare the nerves above described, requires, as I have 
stated, no formidable incision, nor does it demand more anato- 
mical skill, or surgical dexterity, than every practitioner of the 
healing art ought to possess. We should always bear in mind, that 
the subject of experiment is at least jnsensible to pain; and that 
like is at stake, perhaps, irrecoverably gone. And aseuredly, if 
we place the risque and difficulty of the operations, in competi- 
tion with the blessings and glory consequent on success, they 
will weigh as nothing, with the intelligent and humane. It is 
possible, indeed, that two small brass knobs, covered with cloth 
moistened with solution of sal-ammoniac, pressed above and be- 
low, on the place of the nerve, and the diaphragmatic region, 
may suffice, without any surgical operation. It may first be 
tried. 
‘Immersion of the body in cold water accelerates greatly the 
extinction of life arising from suffocation ; and hence less hopes 
need be entertained, of recovering drowned persons after a con- 
siderable interval, than when the vital heat has been suffered to 
continue 
