11 



Among those, who have laboured in vain on 

 this field, I ought also to mention the well-known 

 German author, BJEIL. He supposes, that in the 

 nerves there is a matter, analogous to galvanism, 

 which through a kind of electric atmosphere, ope- 

 rates at a small distance, and thereby he has re- 

 vived the idea of an aurea nervea. The manner 

 in which he explains his hypothesis, and the ar- 

 guments he introduces in support of it, constitute 

 an entertaining essay, but does not increase the 

 sum of our real information. 



It is fruitless to expect to obtain any informa- 

 tion on this subject, by any chemical analysis of 

 the matter of the nerves and the brain. Our ex- 

 periments convince us sufficiently, that the ope- 

 ration of the nervous system is not performed by 

 a mutual decomposition of its medulla, and the 

 part on which it operates; for, by tying up any 

 small but essential nerve, we have found, that 

 the greatest disorders have arisen in the oeconomy 

 of the animal, and continued as long as the liga- 

 ture remained, although the nerve below the part 

 tied always retained the same quantity of nervous 

 substance as before. Again, if the ligature is 

 loosened, and the continuity of the medulla re- 

 stored, the disorders will cease. And why is this 



