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close to the spine sustain a certain injury, the organic life will cease 

 in the spinal marrow and in the brain, and consequently elsewhere: 

 if the spinal marrow be divided in the middle, the parts below will 

 be paralyzed; they will for a time maintain their organic life, but 

 finally this will cease, as well as the organic life in seats more im- 

 mediately connected with the superior half of the spinal marrow, 

 and with the brain: if the brain be injured in its basis, the life of 

 the spinal marrow will cease, and that of the other parts will die ; 

 if the brain be injured in its superior parts, its entire functions will 

 be impaired, and finally its life, as well as that of the spinal marrow, 

 will probably cease from the same cause. These are the descriptions 

 of facts, which require to be a little further analyzed. 



' 5. If the medulla spinalis be divided about the middle of the 

 dorsal vertebrae, death is not the immediate consequence; the or- 

 ganic assimilating life is preserved for a time in the nervous structure 

 both above and below, but the general extinction of this principle 

 at no great distance of time will succeed this injury. From the fact 

 that the assimilating life is maintained for a time in this system both 

 above and below the place of division, we are disposed to infer the 

 independence of the inferior on the superior parts, and vice versa. 

 From the fact that death does succeed to such a division of the 

 spinal marrow, though an interval as we have reason to think in some 

 animals of several hours might elapse before this event takes place ; 

 from this latter fact two inferences are suggested, between which it 

 remains for us to choose, 1st, that the assimilating life ceases from 

 privation of properties which are necessary to constitute its identity ; 

 or, 2nd, that it ceases in consequence of disturbed relations, as by 

 foreign properties, or a preternatural condition of local properties, 

 which have a preternatural relation with those in another sphere ; the 

 result of the communication of such properties is the extinction of 

 the assimilating life in the sphere to which they are imparted. To 

 decide upon these inferences, will require but a short discussion. 



6. 1. That the assimilating life does not cease either in the 

 superior or inferior parts of this system by privation of properties, 

 or by interruption of those which we have called the regular de- 

 pendent, is indicated forcibly by the fact, that the life of the parts 

 in question is maintained for many hours after their communication 

 is intercepted ; and the same conclusion is still more satisfactorily 

 proved by the general fact before cited, that assimilating properties 

 roust be independent of every distant sphere. Hence the rejection 

 of this alternative gives room to admit the other, viz. 



7. 2. That if the assimilating life ceases in any part above the 

 place of division of the spinal marrow, the properties directly con- 

 cerned in its extinction can be those only which are foreign; or, to 

 describe the change more particularly, the vital properties interested 

 in the injury assume in consequence (as does the vascularity of the 

 structure also) a preternatural state, and the properties composing 

 this preternatural state have a relation with distant ones which does 

 not belong to the condition of health ; the result of this relation is 



