Dec. 4, 1873J 



NA TURE 



unclosed in some of us for use ? But one is sometimes met with 

 tlie remark that, if these rudimentary and variable structure? are 

 useless, they are at any rate not injurious. But is it so ? May 

 they, and do they, not become injurious under disease or acci- 

 dent ? There is the male mamma, for instance, which we have 

 sometimes occasion to excise for disease. Whatever may be the 

 law which regulates the evolution ol the sexual organs, no " use " 

 theory can account for the presence of that rudimentary organ. 

 But the diverticulum is a possibly injurious structure not merely 

 as a tissue, but in addition, specially, as forming, if I miy use 

 the word, a kind of trap, by lodgment or by strangulation. 

 Thus we find that we have, whether we will or no, reached the 

 conclusion that there are parts in the animal body which are 

 not only useless but worse than useless because dangerous. 



I do not see any reply to this in my critic's remark that it 

 proves too much for the argument, that, for instance, because 

 some people have died from wounds of the scalp, therefore tlie 

 head might be dispensed with. For, however much the head 

 may vary among us, it is not a rudimentary structure. No argu- 

 ment can affect the fact that the diverticulum is not only a 

 useless structure, but worse than useless because dangerous. The 

 object of putting it thus emphatically is both to establish and to 

 call attention to the conclusion that there are such things in animal 

 bodies as rudimentary structures, thinjjs which are of no use to the 

 animal body which contains them, and which can be understood 

 only by referring to other animal bodies in which they are in full 

 play ; and that we must therefore rise to higher conceptions of 

 tile mode in which these things are regulated. It was carefully 

 stated in my paper that the consideration of such parts as the 

 diverticulum does not carry us further than to clear away the old 

 argument, but that, on taking a survey of rudimentary structures 

 generally, we are led on to the conclusion that the evolution hy- 

 pothesis is the more probable one in regard to the mode of origin 

 of animal bodies. 



The nature of the diverticulum and its sources of danger are 

 well known to the readers of Meckel, Monro, Lawrence, Roki- 

 tanski, and Cruveilhier. I may be allowed to mention that nearly 

 twenty years ago I published (Edin. Med. and Surg. Journal, 

 April 1S54) twenty cases of diverticulum, with a drawing of each. 

 In three ol these it was the cause of death, and I referred to some 

 other cases in which it caused death as reported by previous 

 writers. Anyone in Lon'ion who is desirous of seeing a case in 

 which it caused death, may do so by lookin.4 into the museum of 

 St. Bartholomew's Ilospitdl. There is, I may mention, a diver- 

 ticulum, at the usual place, in a subject now being dissected in 

 my anatomical rooms. If my critic will come to Aberdeen I 

 will show him a large collection of them, and also of specimens 

 showing the vaiious positions and conditions of the appendi,\ 

 vermiforniis, and, indeed, many other interesting rudimentary 

 structures and variations waich, I infer, he has not yet seen. 



My critic's olijection that such discussions are unnecessary, 

 that the true theory will ultimately prevail from its own intrinsic 

 value, might be urged against all discussion ; and I differ from 

 him very much if he thinks that the question does not require to 

 be stirred among and by the teachers of human anatomy in this 

 country. The cause of my little paper, in fact, was my having, 

 not long before, heard a teacher of human anatomy, at a similar 

 meeting, call in question the whole argument from rudimentary 

 structures. I attributed no importance to my paper further 

 than that, in bringing forward the diverticulum, it submitted an 

 illustration for the argument which does not admit of cavil. 



Aberdeen, Nov. 22 John Struthers 



The Atmospheric Telegraph 



Will you permit one of your subscribers who is interes*ed in 

 the credit of the English telegraphic system, to supplement your 

 article of November 27 by a few remarks ? 



The distribution of telt graphic messages by means of air was 

 introduced by Mr. Latimer Clark, and had been employed by 

 the Electric Telegraph Company long before it was adopted 

 c.ther in Berlin or Paris. 



The Times article of November 15 deals with the undertaking 

 of the Pneumatic Despatch Company for the conveyance of 

 parcels and goods, not messages. The writer incidentally men- 

 tions the transmission of messages, but scarcely seems to have 

 been aware of the extent of the London message sysem. 



If I might encumber your valuable space by statistics, I could 

 show that the pneumatic system of the Postal Telegraphs, or even 

 that of the Electric Telegraph Company at the lime of the 

 translerof their undertaking to the Stitc, will bear comparison, 



both as to extent and efficiency, with that of Paris, effective as 

 the latter is. 



The system is employed in Manchester, Liverpool, Birming- 

 ham, Glasgow, and Dublin. R. S. Culley 



Engineer-in-Chief of Postal Telegraphs 



General Post Office, Nov. 29 



SENSATION IN THE SPINAL CORD 

 'X'HE principle which I end;avoured sDme years 

 -*■ ago to get recognised as the directive principle 

 of research in Nerve Physiology, was that everywhere 

 identity of Tissue carried with it identity of physio- 

 logical Property, and that similarity in the struc- 

 ture and connections of Organs involved corre- 

 sponding similarity in Function. Although these 

 premisses were almost truisms, the concluiion drawn — 

 that all nerve-centres must have a common Property, and 

 similar Functions — was too much opposed to the reigning 

 doctrine, to find general acceptance. Especially was it 

 resisted in its application to the functions of the Spinal 

 Cord ; and this because of the t>vo hypotheses current, 

 namely, that Reflex Action did not involve Sensibility, and 

 that the Brain was the sole Organ of the Mind. Following 

 in the track so victoriously open;d by Pfliiger. I brought 

 forward what seemed to me decisive evidence of the 

 sensational and volitional functions of the Spinal Cord ; 

 but this evidence has not been generally deemed conclu- 

 sivebythose whoseverdict is authoritative. Neither inGer- 

 many nor in England have the majority of physiologists 

 consented to regard the actions determined by tthe Spinal 

 Cord in the absence of the Brain as sensitive actions. 



This is not the place to examine the insufficiency of the 

 evidence which is held to exclude sensation from Reflex 

 Action, nor to exhibit the irrationality of the conception of 

 the Brain as the Organ of Mind — which, as I have else- 

 where siid, is not more acceptable thin would be the 

 parallel conception of the Heart as the Organ of Life. 

 The purpose of the present paper is restricted to the 

 examination of the most striking experimental evidence 

 against the sensational function of the Spinal Cord, which 

 to my knowledge has hitherto been advanced. I had 

 intended reserving the criticism for its appropriate place 

 in the "Problems of Life and Alind," but an article by 

 Mr. Michael Foster which has just appeared (yo^/v/i^/ of 

 Anatomy and Physiolos:y,'Hovtxab tr),on the Effects of rise 

 of Tetnperature on Refle.x Action, induces me to bring th; 

 subject before the readers of NATURE, in the hope that 

 some of them may re-investigate it and record their results. 



I will merely rem irk that the microscopic investiga- 

 tions which have recently been mide with greatly in- 

 creased powers and better methods of preparation, have 

 more and more contirmed my assertion of the histological 

 identity of Spinal Cord and Brain. On the other hand 

 the experiments o( Go\tz{Fi/nctio/u'/i dcr Ncrvcnccntri-iidcs 

 Froschcs, 1S69, p. i2S)seem to supply direct evidence 

 against the identity of property ; and this evidence canaot 

 be ignored. 



Goltz observed that a frog, when place! in water the 

 temperature of which is slowly raised towards boiling, 

 manifests uneasiness as soon as the temperature reaches 

 25* C, and becomes more and more agitated as the heat 

 increases, vainly struggling to get out, and finally, at 42° 

 C, dies in a state of rigid tetanus. The evidence of feel- 

 ing being thus manifested when the frog has its brain, 

 what is the case with a brainless frog .' It is absolutely 

 the reverse. Quietly the animal sits through all the suc- 

 cessions of temperature, never once niinifesting uneasi- 

 ness or pain, never once attempting to escape the impend- 

 ing death. " The spinal soul sleeps, perhaps ; it takes no 

 heed of the danger. One must waken it. I touch with 

 acid the skin of its back in that part which is raised above 

 the sucfacc of the water. Swiftly and surely the hind paw 

 IS broui^Jit to bear on it, and the acid on the irritated spot is 

 wiped aii'iiy ; then the leg resumes its comfortable position." 



