308 REPORT — 1876. 



Third Report of the Committee, consisting of Dr. Brunton, F.R.S., 

 and Dr. Pye-Smith, appointed to investigate the Conditions of 

 Intestinal Secretion and Movement. 



The first part of the task of your Committee respected the comparative effect 

 on intestinal secretion of various salts locally applied, and the action of 

 other drugs, either mingled with these or injected into the blood, in modify- 

 ing their action. This was completed in our first lleport, in which we gave 

 an account of our experiments on the local action of purgative salts, and 

 stated that atropia has not the same inhibitory effect on intestinal secretion 

 which it has on that of the submaxillary gland. 



Secondly, we ascertained last year that the same " paralytic "' secretion which 

 Moreau observed in dogs and rabbits occurs under similar conditions in cats ; 

 and, further, that this effect is not produced by division of the pneumogastric 

 nerves and cervical sympathetic cord, nor by section of the splanchnics and 

 spinal cord, and that all these sources of nervous supidy may be cut off, and 

 both semilunar ganglia extirpated, without paralytic secretion following. 

 We ventured to anticipate that the inhibitory centre sought would be found 

 in the smaller ganglia of the solar plexus. We had also noticed that hypersemia 

 or haemorrhage of the intestinal miicous membrane does not follow either upon 

 division of the splanehnics or upon extirpation of the lumbar portion of the 

 spinal cord, but frequently occurs wlien both these operations have been 

 performed together. 



This year your Committee have succeeded in proving positively that the 

 conclusion they had reached by the method of exclusion is correct, namely, 

 that the paralj^tic secretion of Moreau may be produced by extirpation of the 

 smaller ganglia of the solar plexus, including those which are found in the 

 superior mesenteric plexus. 



We have also ascertained that removal of these ganglia is rarely followed 

 by hypei'Oimia or haemorrhage of the intestinal mucous memltraue. 



Thirdly, turning to tlie last section of our investigation, the movements of 

 the intestine, we have obtained fairly conclusive evidence that its peristaltic 

 movement (in the cat) is unaffected by irritation of the distal end of the 

 divided splanehnics, but is called forth by stimulation of their proximal part. 



The conclusions, then, to which your Committee have been led may be 

 thus summed up : — • 



1. Application of various soda and potash salts to the intestinal mucous 

 membrane produces a more or less profuse secretion, that caused by sulphate 

 of magnesia, acetate of potash, sulphate of soda, and tartrate of potash and 

 soda being most abundant. 



2. The presence (in the intestine or in the blood) of atropia, morphia, 

 chloral, &c. does not prevent the above action of sulphate of magnesia. 



3. The secretory nerves of the intestines have the small ganglia of the 

 solar and superior mesenteric plexuses for their centres ; hence secretion is 

 unaffected by section of the splanehnics, the vagi, or the dorso-lumbar part 

 of the cord. 



4. Destruction of the lumbar part of the cord, after extirpation of the solar 

 plexus, produces haemorrhage or hyperaemia of the intestinal mucous mem- 

 brane, which is absent after division of the splanehnics. destruction of the 



