15 APPENDIX. 



communicate yith it, througihthe medium of the gangial system, experiencing a modi- 

 fication of their functions, the action of one or more organs having always an evident 

 relation with the kind and degree of action going on in the other. In these cases the 

 relation is sufficiently manifest ; but the kind and degree of it may vary very greatly be- 

 tween different organs. And the relations may be of the following sorts, as the vital 

 energies distributed throughout the system are affected in degree or in kind, or in both 

 ways at the same time. 



I. Organic sympathies in which the vital energy of the system evinces various modifica- 

 tions in degree and distribution ; but in -which it is not changed in kind, 



1. Related actions may be characterised by a due proportion of a healthy degree of 

 the vital forces of the whole system ; but owing 1 to the application of an exciting- cause 

 fo one organ or part, or to two or three organs, these forces may be greatly increased 

 in them ; as, however, the healthy or medium quantity of the vital forces of the body 

 is not supposed to be exceeded, there consequently must be a proportionate diminution 

 of these forces throughout the other parts of the system*. 



* "When the natural functions of one organ is simply excited without being diseased, 

 the functions of the other organs with 'which it. holds communication, by means of the 

 ganglial nerves, undergoes a relative degree of change, for the excitement of a viscus 

 is merely an exaltation of its vitality ; and as we exalt the vital actions in one or more 

 departments of the entire series, we diminish them throughout the rest in an equal pro- 

 portion ; the excitement being frequently greater or less in some parts, and the di- 

 minution more or less confined to others. 



If, for the sake of illustration, we suppose the vital energies of the system to be equal 

 to 50 : and, through means of the organic or ganglial nerves to be distributed as fol- 

 lows ; to the stomach and intestines 7 ; to the heart, vascular system and lungs 8 ; 

 to the brain and voluntary nerves 7; to the liver, spleen and pancreas 6 ; to the gene- 

 rative organs 3 : to the urinary apparatus 4 ; to the surface of the body 3 : to the 

 rest of the body 11 ; we may consider that it is duly proportioned. But if, owing to 

 the application of certain excitants to one or more organs, as to the stomach and intes- 

 tines, we exalt the proportion bestowed on these to 13, we shall consequently find the 

 brain and voluntary nerves possessing only 5 ; the heart, vessels and lungs 7 ; the 

 urinary organs 3 ; the surface of the body 2 ; and the rest of tbe body experiencing 

 the loss of the remaining one. If, again, we excite the vital forces distributed to the 

 heart and vascular system, until they amount to 16, we shall have a febrile condition of 

 the system in its simplest form, and all the other organs will suffer a diminution in 

 proportion : the stomach will only equal 4, and so on in proportion. But the vital 

 forces of the heart and blood-vessels may equal 16 ; and, owing to the arteries of the 

 brain experiencing 1 an undue proportion of this increase, this organ may at the same 

 time equal 10 ; or, instead of this increase falling to the lot of the cerebral vessels, 

 those of the viscera may be similarly augmented whilst those of the remaining or- 

 gans may be proportionally diminished : in such cases we have a less simple result; 

 but, nevertheless, the increase of the circulating functions is followed by an equal di- 

 minution of the secreting. Viewing 1 the sympathetic connexion of function in ano- 

 ther direction, we shall suppose that the excited state of vital action takes place in 

 secreting organs; in this case the nutritive and other animal operations are diminished 

 in an eq* "*\ degree. Or we shall suppose that the excitement commences in the capil- 

 laries of an organ, from the presence of an irritating cause, that, owing to these ves- 

 sels being supplied with ramifications of the same order of nerves which supply the 

 heart and vascular system generally, the excitement extends more or less throughout 

 this system ; and that, in comsequence of the continuity of this order of nerves, and 

 their very frequent reticulaiions and inosculations, not only do the heart and arteries 

 experience the excitement produced at a part of the extreme circumference, but the 

 \vhole body suffers a relative degree of derangement, and hence evinces all the phe- 

 nomena of sympathetic fever. Thus the capillaries of a particular organ are excited ; 

 the excitement extends more or less g-enerally throughout the vascular series, and the 

 nutritive and secreting functions are diminished in proportion as the actions of the 

 heart and arteries are increased. Many collateral views of this subject may be adduced, 

 and many of its connexions traced, as well as various modifying influences, both in and 

 out of the body, appreciated, all tending to establish the positions that it is chiefly to 

 the ganglial nerves we ought to attribute the manifold phenomena of related action 

 v.-hich we observe in the animal econemy. At this place we have only considered one 

 of the genera belonging to this class of sympathies, namely, that which comprehends 

 the most simple of the related actions those which supervene in the system without 

 nn increase or diminution of the whole amount of the vital energies with which the 



