AND ANIMAL LIFE. 137 



young animal precisely in the same situation as 

 that of the adult when distressed by the same 

 cause. 



After this explanation, it is scarcely necessary 

 to say, that, if an animal of mature years be sub- 

 jected to the same conditions, it is more than 

 probable that we shall ultimately fail in our en- 

 deavour to restore the action of the vital organs. 



CXLVI. It is remarked by Dr EDWARDS, that, 

 when an individual has been exposed to a degree 

 of cold disagreeable to the animal economy, the 

 faculty of generating heat is diminished for some 

 time, even after the system appears to have re- 

 gained its accustomed temperature. In illus- 

 tration of this opinion, he relates a case in which 

 a young man is stated to have fallen into the 

 Seine in endeavouring to walk upon the ice : 

 from his vigour and agility, he speedily extri- 

 cated himself from his perilous situation, and 

 although his health was not affected, he was an- 

 noyed for three days with a continual sensation 

 of cold. This physiologist gives no rationale of 

 the phenomenon, except, " La faculte de pro- 

 duire la chaleur n'a pas repris toute sa force ; 

 car on ne saurait, quelque temps apres, s'exposer 

 sans inconvenient a un degre de froid qu'on sup- 

 portait auparavant sans malaise." * In this in- 

 stance he states a fact which is evident to every 



* Page 249. 



