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the uterus, at the same time that the eggs are forming within the 

 uterus. When the animal is about to produce a capsule, it fixes itself 

 by the tail, and in the course of ten minutes is seen to become much 

 distended in the region of the uterus, but contracted both above and 

 below that part. The swelling at first has the ordinary dark colour 

 of the animal, but in a few minutes a film is seen to separate, and 

 become of a milky white colour, from the contents of the uterus, 

 which are forcibly emitted into it. The animal itself, being thereby 

 diminished, next loosens itself from the enveloping membrane by for- 

 cible elongation of the fore part of the body, and then withdraws its 

 head backwards, as from a collar, leaving two openings in the cap- 

 sule, which, after contraction, remain visible as dark specks, one at 

 each end. These are the points at which the young ultimately make 

 their escape, being apparently aided by the comparative weakness of 

 these parts of the membrane. At the time that they are hatched the 

 young are nearly colourless, and they continue so for several months 

 with very little enlargement. While young they have the property 

 of swimming at the surface of the water with their bellies uppermost, 

 as has been noticed by Muller in the Hirudo hippoglossi, and as the 

 author has also noticed in two other species of Hirudo. 



On the Effects of Galvanism in restoring the due Action of the Lungs. 

 By A. P. Wilson Philip, Physician in Worcester. Communicated 

 by Sir Everard Home, Bart. V.P.R.S. Read November 21, 1816. 

 [Phil. Trans. 181 7, p. 22.] 



The author ascribes our having derived but little advantage hitherto 

 from the employment of galvanism in the cure of disease, to want of 

 discrimination with regard to the functions of the nervous system, 

 which he considers as twofold, one properly nervous, the other purely 

 sensorial. 



Galvanism, he says, never did perform any of the functions of the 

 sensorial system ; it cannot restore hearing to the deaf, or sight to 

 the blind ; and yet these are the cases that have been blindly selected 

 for its employment. On the muscles it acts purely as a stimulus, 

 and is not to be expected to do more than other stimuli. But since 

 it appears to have peculiar power over the nervous system, he was 

 led to inquire what diseases depend on a failure of nervous influence; 

 and from having observed the difficulty of breathing brought on by 

 dividing the eighth pair of nerves, and the relief afforded in that case 

 by sending a stream of galvanism through the lungs, he was induced 

 to try the effects of galvanism in habitual asthma, or asthmatic dys- 

 pnoea, which he conceived to depend on some obstruction of nervous 

 energy. 



In such instances as have come under his own observation, the 

 employment of galvanism has been almost uniformly attended with 

 relief to the symptoms, and in many instances has proved a. perfect 

 cure. When it is applied as strong as the patient can well bear 

 without complaint, the relief is often perceived in five minutes, and 



