AND ANIMAL LIFE. 235 



entirely lost the characters of vegetable food. The con- 

 tents of the larger intestines were more completely con- 

 cocted than any that I have observed in the whole series 

 of these experiments. The neck of the animal was dis- 

 sected after having examined the thoracic and abdominal 

 cavities, and the divided ends of the par vagum on each 

 side were readily discovered. 



The two rabbits in this experiment were seven weeks 

 old. They had partaken of a small quantity of dandelion 

 at one o'clock, p. M. ; the operation was commenced an 

 hour afterwards. 



CCLIIL The preceding experiments are con- 

 elusive and important in their character. We 

 have now no longer any uncertainty concern- 

 ing the principal function of the eighth pair 

 of nerves ; nor are we perplexed in endeavour- 

 ing to explain the consequences which follow 

 their division. In Chapter III. I endeavoured 

 to show the fallacies in the reasoning of WIL- 

 SON PHILIP, and stated that the beneficial in- 

 fluence of galvanism was not to be attributed to 

 any similarity or identity with the nervous fluid, 

 but to its general stimulating properties ; and I 

 have by the present experiments shown, if a tube 

 be attached to the divided trachea, although the 

 nerves be cut, that digestion goes on as well as 

 when the trachea alone is divided. From such 

 facts, which it is unnecessary to multiply, we 

 prove, that whatever disorders the proper oxy ve- 

 nation of the blood, or disturbs its distribution, 

 deranges the function of digestion ; and, still fur- 



