MR, BELL ON THE NERVES OF THE FACE. 321 



Such are a few of the facts which have been reaped from a patient reliance 

 on the correctness of my first deductions, and I would now urge them in proof 

 of the importance of reasoning upon the anatomy. All these nerves have been 

 repeatedly divided, by almost every surgeon of eminence in the three kingdoms. 

 Although some have performed the operation of dividing the nei'ves frequently, 

 and one eminent gentleman had done it six times on the face of the same man, 

 all these operations have been performed without giving rise to the suspicion 

 that these nerves bestowed different properties. Even now, so slow is the 

 progress of improvement, it is stated by a surgeon that he will not hesitate to 

 cut the portio dui'a in the case of tic douloureux. My duty is performed when 

 I give publicity to the facts which prove that horrible distortion of the whole 

 countenance, the loss of distinct articulation, the loss of expression, the loss 

 of motion of the eyelids, and consequent inflammation of the eye, must follow 

 such an operation. 



Much has been said in favour of experiments when made by men who are 

 positively without any expectation of the result, or, as they affirm, are unbiassed. 

 The only instances of this that I can allow, are when the surgeon cuts the 

 nerves of the face in a surgical operation. In such operations as these for tic 

 douloureux, he is indeed unbiassed ; and we have seen the resvilt, that after fifty 

 years of such experience we remained quite ignorant of the distinctions in 

 these nei-ves. But on the other hand when attention is roused to inquiry by 

 aantomy, facts are obtained of the utmost importance both to the knowledge 

 of disease and to the safe practice of surgery. 



Of the Motor or Manducatory portion of the Fifth Nerve. 



The fifth nerve is usually called Trigeminus, from piercing the skull in three 

 grand divisions. But when it has been shown that it is composed of two 

 distinct roots having different functions, the accidental circumstance of its 

 divisions passing through the bones yields in importance to another inquiry, 

 How is the muscular portion of the nerve distributed ? 



Since the publication of my first paper this inquiiy has assumed importance ; 

 although the principal facts of the anatomy were known to Wrisberg, San 

 TORiNi, Paletta, Prochaska, and S(emmerring. But in no author is the ana- 



MDCCCXXIX. 2 T 



