38 
“ The foregoing experiments prove, at least, 
that when the va Detainee Tf the nerves 
with the brain is wholly cut off, they gradually 
lose the power of exciting the muscles to con- 
traction, while the muscles lose their irritability. 
The result would, however, have been still 
more decisive if, in place of a single pair of 
plates, a small galvanic battery had been em- 
a to stimulate the nerves and muscles. 
t, and that alone, would have enabled us 
to determine with certainty whether all the 
ete! of the muscles, in two of the cases, had 
an lost. The experiments as they were made, 
however, prove distinctly enough the necessity 
of communication with the brain for the pre- 
servation of nervous and muscular power. We 
may from them conclude also that if, after the 
division of a nerve, the excitability of the lower 
portion, and the irritability of the muscles are 
restored, the nerve has itself been completely 
reproduced ; and that this has not been the 
case if the nerve and muscle do not retain 
their vital properties.” 
I may here observe, that an experiment, si- 
milar to those of Professor Miller and Dr. 
Sticker, in which Sir Astley Cooper assisted 
the late Dr. Haighton, was made in this coun- 
try many years ago, but never published. The 
sciatic nerve was divided ina dog. In a few 
days the lower portion had lost its power of 
exciting muscular contraction. 
These statements appear, then, sufficiently 
opposed to each other ; how shall we explain or 
reconcile them? Before I proceed to discuss 
this question, I must beg the attention of the 
reader to a third series of observations and 
experiments, in a certain sense at variance with 
both those which have been detailed. 
My own attention was first drawn to this 
interesting point by the fact, well known to 
physicians, that if we administer strychnine to 
patients affected with paralysis, it is frequently 
the paralytic limbs which first manifest the 
culiar influence of this powerful remedy. . 
Fouquier has, I believe, too hastily generalized 
this effect of strychnine on the muscles of pa- 
ralytic limbs. And how well do I remember 
the same remark being made by M. Louis, as, 
in our visit round his wards at La Pitié, we 
came to a case in point. From that moment I 
did not cease to revolve the question in my 
mind, and to devise modes of observation and 
experiment to solve it. Certainly the conclu- 
sion of M. Ségalas d’Etchepare, in regard to it, 
is any thing but satisfactory. M. Ségalas ob- 
serves :— 
“ Ces expériences réunies autorisent donc a 
conclure que le tétanos produit par la noix vo- 
mique a pour condition premiere de son déve- 
loppement la présence du poison dans le sang, 
et que les phénoménes qui l’accompagnent sont 
dus a l’action anormale de ce fluide sur le sys- 
teme nerveux. 
“« Cette manitre de considerer l’action de la 
noix vomique donue un moyen simple d’expli- 
quer les effets de cette substance chez l’homme, 
et particulitrement ce fait si remarquable de la 
contraction des muscles paralysés plus prompte 
et plus énergique que celle des muscles sains, 
IRRITABILITY. 
fait observé d’abord par M. Fouquier,* et con: 
staté depuis par tant de praticiens du premie 
ordre. II est facile, en effet, de concevoir qu 
les muscles sains, soumis a la fois 4 l’empi 
du cerveau et a l’action du poison, résisten 
celle-ci plus que les muscles paral qu 
soustraits a influence cérébrale, ne sont ph 
commandés que par le poison.” 
Upon these observations of M. Ségalas, 3 
Ollivier remarks—* Mais s’il en est ainsi, con 
ment se rendre raison d’un fait observé ¢ 
long-temps par tous les praticiens, et sur lequ 
je viens d’appeler l’attention, c'est que la ne 
vomique cause souvent de violentes douleu 
dans les membres paralysés, sans ap port 
aucun trouble dans les ies saines? Pow 
quoi cette action spéciale sur les seuls organ 
paralysés? et, d’un autre cété, la douler 
percue ne prouve-t-elle pas que les partic 
paralysées ne sont point isolées entitrement 
centre nerveux, et qu’ainsi ce ne peut étre 
cette inconstance qu’on doive attribuer la local 
sation singuliére des effets de la strychnine ?”” 
It will soon be seen that this view, like ; 
former one, is far too general, far too indiser 
minate—that it is not in every case of paralysi 
that the strychnine would first display its it 
fluence on the paralytic limbs. Meantim 
however, I figured to myself the fact of 
strychnine acting on the spinal marrow, an 
diffusing its power equally along the nerves, 
the right hand and to the left, to the muscles | 
which they proceed respectively: and I ask 
myself the question—lIs the difference observe 
in its ultimate effects on those muscles, th 
power being obviously the same, owing to 
difference in the degree of the irritability of 
muscular fibre itself? Is the irritability of the 
fibre actually angmented? If so, the pheno 
menon would be explained ! . 
I waited with anxiety for opportunities 
submitting this question to the decision of 
periment. This I entrusted, in the first in 
stance, to my young friend and intellige 
pupil, Mr. Dolman. The result was as I an 
ticipated. A little child, aged two years, wa 
perfectly paralytic of the left arm. i 
est shock of galvanism was directed to be ap 
lied which should produce an obvious effec 
t was uniformly observed that the paralyt 
limb was agitated bv a degree of galva 
energy which produced no effect on the healt 
imb. 
A similar patient, with lysis of one le 
was creel to the came’ eisai by m 
friend and former pupil Mr. W. F. Barlow, an 
with the same result. zl 
I repeated the trial on several patients af 
fected vith hemiplegia, at my own house, uni 
formly with the same event: the paralytic limbs 
were always moved by an influence which 
lower than that required to affect the health 
limb, or if both limbs were agitated, it wa 
uniformly the paralytic limb which was mor 
shaken than the other. , 
i= 
yy = 
a 
‘an 
* Memoire sur l’emploi de la noix vomique dan 
les paralysies, par M. Fouquier, 1815. 
+ Traité de la Moélle Epiniére, 1827, p. 841. 
