AND ANIMAL LIFE. 433 



taking very deep inspirations, and, by keeping up 

 a jseries of these for one minute, I have at all 

 times produced the effect. In the space of that 

 period the pulse has been augmented twelve 

 pulsations, and its fulness and strength have been 

 proportionally lessened. This simple experiment 

 is not performed without being succeeded by 

 considerable pain in the chest : it is to me suf- 

 ficiently disagreeable to prevent a frequent repe- 

 tition of it. Our voluntary attempts can make only 

 a distant approach to those efforts and consequences 

 which are referred to the involuntary powers ; 

 but if we understand correctly the nature of those 

 means that make even an approach to an involuntary 

 sequence, we are certainly enabled to discriminate 

 much better the action of those powers that are 

 independent of the will. 



DXXXI. The explanation which has been 

 proposed appears more philosophical than the 

 one which assumes that there is & particular sym- 

 pathy existing beftveen the brain, stomach, and the 

 heart. If the one proposed for the consider- 

 ation of the impartial reader be granted to 

 be true, it immediately regulates our practice ; 

 but if the other be preferred, which informs us 

 of certain connexions existing between different 

 internal organs, without, in the least, explaining 

 these connexions, we are still necessitated to re- 

 gard these phenomena as enveloped in the mys- 

 tery of occult and impenetrable causes; and, 



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