VOL. XLIX.J PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 6l3 



to the anus, being 57 inches in length. He had had no stool from the time of 

 the accident, but soon after the operation there was a very large discharge of 

 blackish and extremely offensive faeces, which continued several days, lessening 

 by degrees. He soon became easy, and the nausea and vomiting abated. Mr. 

 N. gave him tinct. cort. Peruv. simpl. twice a day; and, as he complained at 

 times of griping pains, he took now and then tinct. rhabarb. vinos, and had re- 

 covered a good state of health. For some time he had 6 or T , or more stools in 

 a day; afterwards commonly 3 or 4, all loose, which come soon after eating; and 

 frequently he was obliged to hurry out to ease himself, during his meals. 



Mr. N. 3 times tried to discover a passage through the coats of the rectum, 

 with his finger, aiitl he thought he always felt an opening, just above the sphincter, 

 towards the spine; the circumference of which was full, and protuberated, seem- 

 ingly as large as his finger, the lower edge of which was harder than the rest; 

 the patient complained of pain, when the upper part was pressed. 



On the 7th of May the boy walked from Brunsted to North-Walsham, 7 

 miles, was jierfectly well, and walked back again that afternoon. 



XXXVIII. Experiments on the Sensibility and Irritability of the several Parts 

 of Animals. By Richard Brocklesby, M. D., F. R. S. p. 240. 



After apologizing for the cruelty exercised in these experiments, which Dr. B. 

 made for the purpose of ascertaining the validity of Haller's doctrine, respecting 

 the irritability of animal fibres, Dr. B. proceeds to state, that his first experiment 

 was made by cutting 4 inches of a young lamb's skin, which covered the great 

 tendon of the hinder leg, known to anatomists by the name of the tendo achillis. 

 This of course caused violent struggles, and other marks of the injury felt; and 

 on touching the extremity of the skin, while united to other parts of the animal, 

 it cried loud, urined, and voided its excrement, when he poured diluted spirit of 

 vitriol on the edges of the skin that were fixed to the contiguous parts; but did 

 not express much pain by irritating the raised skin, at the farthest extremity of 

 its separation, by an infusion of diluted spirit of vitriol. Nearer however to the 

 fixed parts underneath, the sensation in the raised part of the skin continued 

 much longer. 



He then made the butcher cut into the tendon half way, and divide it upwards 

 more than 2 inches, and attentively stood over the animal, to watch his motions, 

 and discover if there was any apparent pain ; but while that was doing, he could 

 discern none, nor any marks of sensation in the animal, while he handled and 

 pulled the cut tendon, nor yet any on touching it with dulcified spirit of nitre, 

 and sharp acid spirit of vitriol; and what yet surprised him more, was to find 

 the creature as insensible on the tendon, as if it was a mere piece of glue, when 

 he put a strong muria of sea-salt and nitre all over it; and after a very few mi- 



