66 THE LAWS OF ORGANIC 



port these, is the effect of chance ; if otherwise, 

 let it not be imagined that an imperfect imita- 

 tion of the function of respiration will furnish 

 results sufficiently accurate to allow us to speak 

 with certainty of its office. 



LVI. The cause of animal temperature is at- 

 tributed by WILSON PHILIP to a secreting pro- 

 cess, similar to that which occasions the variety 

 of secretions in the system by the action of the 

 nervous fluid upon the blood. This opinion is 

 supposed to be demonstrated by direct experi- 

 ment ; and certainly a great number of facts are 

 brought forward which seem favourable to the 

 view, if such be superficially observed. He has 

 endeavoured to show the close analogy existing 

 between galvanism and the nervous fluid, by 

 numerous experiments on rabbits ; and finding 

 that the effects are the same, without consider- 

 ing the complexity of the animal economy, or 

 without looking beyond the mere application of 

 means and the production of obvious results, 

 he concludes that these two agents are precisely 

 of the same nature. The discovery of this seem- 

 ing analogy has formed an era in physiological 

 science ; and if it had been true, it would have 

 been a very close approximation to the develope- 

 ment of the most mysterious operations of the 

 system ; but I do not hesitate to say, that while 

 his experiments are to be regarded as furnishing 



