15 



Chossat, Longet and others, about the influence of the spinal 

 cord on the functions of organic life, are quite erroneous. I have 

 found that birds are able to live for months after the destruction 

 of the spinal cord, from the fifth costal vertebra to its termina- 

 tion. This fact proves not only that the functions of organic 

 life may continue to exist in such a case, but that they appear to 

 be executed then as in healthy birds ; for, if the operation has 

 been made on a young bird, it will afterwards grow very well. 



I have succeeded in keeping alive, from the 8th of April until 

 the 4th of July, a young cat, about which I have already pub- 

 lished a note in this journal.* The palsied parts in this animal 

 have grown in length proportionately as much as the sound parts. 

 The growth has been such in the palsied limbs that they have ac- 

 quired more than double the length they had at the time 

 of the operation. The functions of organic life appeared to 

 exist without any apparent disturbance. The nutritive reparation 

 was so powerful, that the pieces of the vertebral column which 

 had been cut off have been reproduced. This fact is important, 

 because it shows that the reproduction of bone is possible in a 

 palsied part. 



The temperature of that cat was at the ordinary degree, (105 

 .Eahr., in the rectum.) The secretion of the hair and nails took 

 place as in healthy cats. I had previously seen on birds that 

 their temperature remained normal after the destruction of a 

 great part of the spinal cord. Besides, I have found in these 

 birds that the secretion of quills and nails continued to take place. 



As to the influence of the medulla oblongata on the functions 

 of organic life, my experiments on cold-blooded vertebrata have 

 proved to me, that these functions (except, of course, pulmonary 

 respiration,) may continue to exist without any appearance of 

 disturbance. 



5. After the complete transverse section of the spinal cord in 

 mammals or birds, I have found that the ulcerations which take 

 place around the genital organs do not result directly from the ab- 

 sence of nervous action. One of the causes of these ulcerations 

 is continued pressure, and another cause is the continual pre- 

 sence of altered urine and faeces. 



* See Med. Exam., No. v. May, 1852, p. 321. 



