228 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [March, 



mediately ceases, when the spinal marrow is removed or destroyed. 

 The motion of the heart, which continues for some time after it is 

 removed from the body, he considers as similar to the motion of 

 any other muscular body from stimuli; and the stimulus in this 

 case is the arterial blood. Dr. Philips related a great number of 

 experiments on rabbits and frogs, which appeared quite inconsistent 

 with M. Gallois's hypothesis. Rabbits were rendered insensible by 

 a blow on the occiput ; the spinal marrow and brain were then re- 

 moved, and the respiration kept up by artificial means. The cir- 

 culation and motion of the heart continued as usual. When 

 stimuli, as spirit of wine or opium, were applied to the spinal 

 marrow or brain, the rate of the circulation was accelerated. 

 When tlie hind legs of a frog are kept for two minutes in alcohol, 

 the animal loses the power of motion. In this case it expresses 

 great pain ; but if tincture of opium be used instead of simple 

 alcohol, little or no pain is expressed. 



On Thursday the 9th of February, Dr. Philips's paper was con- 

 cluded. He found that the peristaltic motion of the intestines 

 continued after the biain and spinal marrow were removed. When 

 the brain or spinal marrow were suddenly crushed, the effect upon 

 the motion of the heart was much greater than when these organs 

 were removed by cutting, or gradually destroyed by means of a 

 wire. From these experiments Dr. Philips concludes that the 

 action of the lieart is independent of the brain and spinal marrow ; 

 but that it is capable of being affected by these organs. He con- 

 ceives, with Haller, that the heart and muscles possess excitability 

 independent of the brain and spinal marrow ; that the difference 

 between the voluntary and involuntary muscles depends upon the 

 stimuli ; and that animals possess three different sets of organs, 

 the muscular, the nervous, and the sensorial, independent of each 

 other, but capable of influencing each other. 



On Thusday the 16th of February, a paper was read from Mr. 

 Clift, describing experiments to ascertain the influence of the 

 spinal marrow on the action of the heart in fishes. 



At the same meeting a letter from Dr. Brewster was read, de- 

 scribing a new property possessed by the second surface of trans- 

 parent bodies. 



LINN^AN SOCIETY. 



On Tuesday tlie 7tli of Fei)ruary, specimens exactly similar to 

 Bovey coal, but brought from Constantinople, were exhibited to 

 the Society by Mr. Sowerby. A communication by Mr. Sowerby 

 was also read, On a Species of Fossil Terrebratula. 



At the same meeting, two communications from Dr. Mitchell of 

 New York were read. The first gave an account of a singular 

 species of plcuronectes found in tlie New York rivers. Dr. Mitchell 

 is inclined to consider it as a variety of the white-bellied plcu- 

 ronectes; though the dili'erences are considerable. Among others, 

 ihe bcliy is nearly as dark as ihe back. The second paper con- 



