OF THE BRAIN, ETC. 17 



II. 



Further Experiments and Observations on the 

 Influence of the Brain on the Generation of 

 Animal Heat. Communicated to the Society 

 for promoting the Knowledge of Animal Che- 

 mistry , and by them to the Royal Society. 



[From the Philosophical Transactions for 1812.] 



IN the Croonian Lecture for the year 1810, 

 I gave an account of some experiments, which 

 led me to conclude that the production of animal 

 heat is very much under the influence of the 

 nervous system. Some facts which have since 

 fallen under my observation illustrate this sub- 

 ject, and seem to confirm the truth of my former 

 conclusions. 



In an animal which is under the influence of 

 a poison that operates by disturbing the func- 

 tions of the brain, in proportion as the sensi- 

 bility becomes impaired, so is the power of 

 generating heat impaired also. 



If an animal be apparently dead from a poison 

 of this description, and the circulation of the 

 blood be afterwards maintained by means of 

 artificial respiration, the generation of heat is 



c 



