ON INTESTINAL SECRETION. 313 



teric artery, became marked. No movement of stomach or intestines took 

 place. 



16. — Cat chloroformed and put into a bath of -75 per cent, salt solution at 

 90° to 100° F., with the trachea opened so as to allow of complete immer- 

 sion*. After electrodes had been put on both splanclmks, with the intestines 

 at rest and moderatclj' injected, the current was put on with a commutator, 

 so as to pass through both nerves at once with the coil at 25, shifted after 

 two minutes to 15, and then to 5 and to 0, but without visible effect. 



17. — Cat chloroformed and abdomen opened. Intestines pale. Pregnant 

 uterus. No peristalsis. Both splanchnics divided. Proximal end of right 

 irritated, with the coil at 25. After two minutes the uterus began moving : 

 on breaking the circuit this ceased gradually. The same occurred on applpng 

 the electrodes in the same way to the left splanchnic, the intestines still re- 

 maining motionless and their injection not varying. The narcosis was kept 

 only moderately deep, the tail constantly moving. At every third or fourth 

 expiration there was a strong contraction of the abdominal walls with relaxed 

 dia])hragm (eifort at vomiting). 



Electrodes were then applied to (the proximal end of) both splanchnics, 

 and the current passed through both at once. Coil at 25 : no change : intes- 

 tines drawn out from abdomen so as to bring the greater part into view ; they 

 were motionless and moderately vascular. Coil at 15, current on : active 

 peristalsis began, and soon spread to all the small intestines ; the uterus also 

 moved as before ; vascularity of the viscera not altered. After three minutes 

 the current was stopped, and the movements quickly ceased. Repeated with 

 the coil at 5 and at 10 no effect was produced, but general movements of the 

 voluntary muscles ensued from escape of the current. 



The animal was then placed in a bath of "75 per cent, of salt solution at 

 about 90° F., arranged so as to cover the abdomen but allow of respiration, 

 and both sjilanrhnics were irritated with the coil at 10 : no effect. 



Hemoved from bath : Jio movement. Left splanchnic (proximal end as 

 before) irritated with coil at 15. After 30 seconds active peristalsis began 

 in the colon, the uterus, and some folds of the small intestine. Moved to 10, 

 peristalsis appeared in fresh folds, which ceased on stopping the current. 



Electrodes on right splanchnic: coil at 15 : no movement. Current on: 

 after a few seconds active peristalsis began in the stomach, spread to the 

 intestines, 'and by the end of the first minute all the small intestines were in 

 movement, as well as the uterus, the colon not participating. Moved up to 

 10, increased activity of motion, the colon continuing quiet, and the vascu- 

 larity of the viscera not affected, except as the tight contraction of the gut 

 produced transient pallor. On stopping the current, peristalsis ceased within 

 two minutes. 



The electrodes were then applied io the superior mesenteric plexus, which. 

 was isolated for the purpose. Coil at 15, current on : slight movement 

 occurred, but not constantly ; the vascularity of the smaU intestine was 

 distinctly, though only moderately diminished. Applied to the 7'enal plexus 

 no change was visible, but after removal the kidney increased in vascularity. 

 Applied lastly to the nerves going to the spleen, that viscus shrunk from 5| to 

 5 inches in length. 



18. — Cat under chloroform. Both splanchnics divided, and distal end of 

 left placed on electrodes, the intestines being anaemic and at rest. Coil at 

 25, current on : after 90 seconds there was very slight and limited peri- 



* This precaution (in which we followed Sanders Ezn and Houckgeest) we found to 

 be useless for the object in yiew, and do not recommend it to future investigators. 



