I 3^ Researches Regarding Cholera. [part i. 



Very little peritonitic action was set up in the majority of instances, and in 

 those in which peritonitis did occur to any extent, it was usually ascribable to an 

 extra amount of handling or injury of the viscera incident on some accident in the 

 course of operation, as, for example, on haemorrhage from the vessels occurring during 

 the separation of the nerves, or on the plugging of the vein with coagulum, and the 

 resultant extreme congestion of the gut and fold of mesentery supplied by it. When 

 general peritonitis had occurred to any extent the mucous membrane of the gut 

 presented patches of mucus of a prune-juice colour such as is ordinarily present in 

 such cases, but these were not localised to the loop, the nerves of which had been 

 divided, nor was there any effusion of fluid into the gut. 



The following cases have been selected as affording illustrations of the various 

 phenomena observed as results of the operation : — 



Experiment IV (iVo. 6). — A healthy young pariah dog was put under the 

 influence of choloform, and an incision having been made along the middle line of 

 the abdomen, the cavity was opened and a loop of the small intestine drawn out. The 

 vessels supplying the central portion of this loop were then carefully cleaned, and 

 everything resembling a nervous filament divided. Ligatures were then applied 

 round the intestine at the terminal twigs of the vessels, the accompanying nerves of 

 which had been divided, and finally a loop of intestine on either side was ligatured. 

 The three ligatured loops were now returned to the abdomen, and another portion of 

 the small intestine having been taken out was treated in exactly the same way. 

 The second set of ligatured loops was next returned to the abdomen, and the wound 

 in the parietes carefully stitched up. 



The dog rapidly recovered from the influence of the chloroform, showed no 

 indications of pain, and, 9^ hours after the operation, appeared to be quite cheerful 

 in spite of having six loops of its intestines firmly ligatured, two of which, moreover, 

 had their nervous supply divided. 



Chloroform was again administered, and continued until death occurred. The 

 abdomen was opened before circulation had ceased, and was found to contain about 

 an ounce of serous fluid, but there were no evidences of general peritonitis. The 

 ligatured loops of intestine were next laid open, but were found in no way to vary 

 from one another, whether their nervous supply had been divided or not. They were 

 all empty, and of a reddish-brown appearance internally, due to sanguineous staining 

 of the normal mucus. This staining extended uninterruptedly from the highest 

 ligatured loop to a little beyond the ccecal extremity of the lowest one. Above the 

 upper ligature, the mucous membrane of the gut was pale and somewhat more moist 

 than in the ligatured loops. 



Experiment V {No. 8). — A strong healthy pariah dog was put under the influence 

 of chloroform, and three loops of intestine were ligatured as in the preceding 



