150 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, [aNNO 1097. 



mical experiments. 1. Mons. Du Verny took away the brain and cerebellum 

 from a pigeon, and filled the cranium with flax : notwithstanding which it lived 

 some time, searched for aliment, did the ordinary functions of life, and had 

 the use of its senses. 2. Mons. Chirac, Professor of Anatomy at Montpellier, 

 took, away the brain from a dog, yet he lived some time ; but when the cere- 

 bellum was taken out, he died immediately : but he has observed, that by blow- 

 ing into the lungs, the animal has lived an hour, although wanting the cere- 

 bellum. 3. He took away from another dog half the cerebellum, but he died 

 immediately. 4. After taking away half the brain from a third dog, he con- 

 tinued to have the motion of all the parts, and could walk about ; he tiien took 

 all the brain from the same dog, and he yet had sense and respiration. 5. He 

 separated the medulla oblongata of a fourth dog from the medulla spinalis, by 

 introducing a pair of scissars between the first vertebra and the os occipitis; 

 the animal had died immediately, but by blowing into the lungs the motion of 

 the heart continued, and the animal could move its body. 6. He took the ce- 

 rebellum from a fifth dog, but he lived 24 hours, and his heart beat well. 



All these experiments show that an animal may live for some time, though 

 imperfectly, wanting the brain, and even the cerebellum ; but there is no 

 experiment where they ever lived wanting all ; therefore I conceive, that the 

 medulla spinalis was not here wanting, for it has supplied the defect of the 

 brain and cerebellum, and the animal spirits have been separated and disturbed 

 for continuing the circulation of the blood : for it is to be considered, that 

 although the intercostal nerve and 8th pair have their origin in the medulla 

 oblongata, yet after their entry into the cavity of the breast, they are united 

 with branches from almost all the vertebral nerves, and with them make up 

 several plexuses, from whence several branches are emitted to the heart and 

 other parts, sufficient for continuing the circulation of the blood ; which has 

 occasioned some to fall into a mistake, thinking the circulation might be ex- 

 plained some other way, than by the influx of the animal spirits into the nerves, 

 which they endeavour to prove by an experiment on a dog, of tying up the in- 

 tercostal and 8th pair of nerves, before they enter the cavity of the breast, and 

 yet the dog shall live for two or three days after. But unless they can tie up 

 all the vertebral nerves, or at least tie up the nerves at their entrance into the 

 heart, the experiment is not so convincing ; and the symptoms that usually 

 happen, even upon tying the intercostal and 8th pair, afford an evident proof of 

 the contrary, for the animal is immediately taken with convulsions. 



