226 THE LAWS OF ORGANIC 



Dissection. The heart and lungs of this rabbit were 

 much larger than usual. The lungs were very much en- 

 gorged, presenting several large patches of a dark hepatic 

 colour. The heart was very turgid, and the vena cava 

 of the thorax and abdomen very much distended with 

 dark venous blood ; the stomach of more ample dimen- 

 sions than in the preceding ; the contents occupying the 

 larger arch of the stomach had undergone no perceptible 

 change ; the rest were better, but still coarsely, digested, 

 exhibiting strong traces of vegetable fibre. The large intes- 

 tines contained a mass only somewhat better concocted than 

 that in the stomach of the former. The lungs and heart 

 of this rabbit weighed seven drachms. 



In the following rabbit, three quarters of an inch of the 

 par vagum, on each side, were cut out. This operation 

 was performed immediately after the preceding. Temper- 

 ature of the rabbit before experiment 104i. 



At ten o'clock, A. M. the respiration was extremely la- 

 borious ; the temperature 100. From this hour the respi- 

 ration increased in difficulty till noon, at which period, in 

 extreme agonies, the rabbit jumped against the wall, and 

 expired. At this moment I separated the trachea, for the 

 purpose of transmitting air into the lungs, thinking that it 

 might revive the animal but it did not. On opening the 

 trachea a quantity of frothy matter flowed out, and con- 

 tinued to do so for the space of a quarter of an hour. The 

 quantity was sufficient to fill a table-spoon. 



Dissection. The thoracic viscera of this rabbit exhi- 

 bited striking peculiarities. The lungs dense, no longer 

 crepitant, of a deep Modena hue, with circumscribed 

 patches of a much darker colour, entirely filled the cavity 

 of the thorax. The air cells on pressure effused a frothy 

 matter. The vena cava of the thorax and abdomen was 

 very much distended with black blood, The stomach 



