i INTERNAL PROTECTIVE SECRETIONS 49 



are peculiarly sensitive in rabbits, which give cries of pain when 

 one of these bodies is crushed in the forceps. Those of dogs, cats, 

 and particularly guinea-pigs are less sensitive. 



When one capsule only was excised or destroyed by crushing, 

 Brown-Sequard invariably noted the death of the animal (rabbits, 

 guinea-pigs, dogs, cats) in less than three days. But he sub- 

 sequently found that destruction of the right capsule alone was 

 not fatal. Immediately after the operation the animals rotated 

 upon their own axis, now in one, now in the other direction, and 

 the pupils of the side operated on were found to be more con- 

 tracted. These are inconstant phenomena of stimulation, due 

 probably to the method of crushing adopted by Brown-Sequard, 

 in which the many ganglion cells contained in the organ are 

 violently excited. 



The suppression of both capsules invariably kills the animal, 

 rabbits in 9-10 hours, dogs and cats after 49 hours at most. As a 

 rule young animals survive longer than adults. 



In consequence of the suppression of the capsules, the animals 

 fall into a state of profound lassitude, which differs from that con- 

 sequent on any other severe and painful operation by its sudden 

 onset after 10-15 minutes. The weakness increases, and 15-20 

 minutes before death assumes the form of regular paralysis, attack- 

 ing first the hind - limbs, then the fore - limbs, and lastly the 

 respiratory muscles. Sensibility persists to the last hour, and may 

 even be exaggerated. Convulsions are frequent in the hours 

 previous to death. The respiratory and cardiac movements are 

 usually accelerated at first, and then become progressively weaker. 

 Appetite disappears : digestion is suspended : urinary secretion, on 

 the contrary, continues normal. The temperature falls consider- 

 ably (from 4-5 C. in winter). 



Brown-Sequard, by special experiments, demonstrated that the 

 excision of both capsules usually involves the death of the animal 

 more rapidly than ablation of the kidneys. Hence he regarded 

 them as organs indispensable to life, the death which follows 

 their removal being due to the lapsed function of the suprarenals. 



These data at once aroused opposition. Gratiolet and 

 Philippeaux (1856-57-58) in France, Berruti and Perosino (1857-63) 

 in Italy, denied the inevitable death of the animals operated on, 

 and referred it either to operative traumatism, or to peritonitis 

 or other secondary effects. Brown - Sequard did not reply 

 exhaustively to all the criticisms, and the question of the func- 

 tional importance of the suprarenals remained for a long time a 

 matter of controversy. The subject has been revived of late, with 

 strictly aseptic methods, by a number of workers who have con- 

 firmed, developed, and extended to other glandular organs the 

 conclusions of Brown Sequard, to whom therefore belongs the 

 honour of having founded the doctrine of internal secretion. 



VOL. II E 



