ON THE FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY OF NERVE CELLS. 513 



form a group requiring investigation apart from those of the central nervous 

 system, and it is especially important to know whether one cell and 

 one only is situated on the course of these efferent visceral fibres, 

 as appears to be the case from Langley's experiments with nicotine ; 

 Mr. Bunch, therefore, at tlie suggestion of Professor Schafer, was en- 

 trusted with the investigation of the position of cell stations on the 

 course of sympathetic nerves. Finally the state of activity in a nerve 

 centre owing to the activity of neighbouring or specially correlated nerve 

 centres is a very important question in connection with the functional 

 activity of nerve cells ; Professor Sherrington, therefore, was requested to 

 contribute to the report the results of his investigations into the 

 activity of the nervous centres which correlate antagonistic muscles in 

 the limbs. 



These difTerent investigations have been carried out by the different 

 observers as far as has been possible in the time, and the results obtained 

 up to the present have been embodied in a series of reports sent in to the 

 Committee. Of these reports it is advisable at present to publish only 

 those in which the investigation has reached a fairly complete stage ; this 

 comprises the reports of Dr. W. B. Warrington, of Dr. J. L. Bunch, of 

 Professor Gotch, of Mr. F. Seymour Lloyd, of Professor Sherrington, and 

 of Professor Waller. All these were brought before the Physiological 

 Section at Toronto, and are hereto appended. As regards the researches 

 of Dr. Mann and Mr. Anderson, though considerable progress has been 

 made the results ai'e not yet ready for publication. The Committee 

 are of opinion that what has already been done affords strong evidence of 

 the value of further investigation on the same lines, and therefore request 

 to be reappointed. 



APPENDICES. 



I. On the Origin, Course, and Cell -connections of the Viscero-motor 

 Nerves of the Small Intestine. By J. L. Bunch, M.D., B.Sc. 



[From the Physiological Laboratory, University College, London.] 



My investigations into the origin, course, and cell-connections of the 

 viscero-motor nerves of the small intestine have been continued with the 

 aid of a portion of the grant made to the Committee. 



About forty experiments in all have been performed, the animals 

 employed being dogs and cats. 



The following points have been made out : — - 



1. In no case has excitation of the vagus either in the neck, after 

 administration of a small dose of atropine, or in the thorax, with or with- 

 out atropine, caused any contraction, or any increase of the normal 

 rhythmic contractions of the intestine. The action of the vagus is in every 

 instance confined to the stomach. In one case (dog) there appeared to be 

 a diminution in the extent of the movements and a tendency to their 

 inhibition. It is possible that this result may have been produced by a 

 pull exerted upon the small intestine by contraction of the stomach, but 

 it does not seem that this was the cause. It is noteworthy that on 2^ost- 

 mortem dissection in this case the vagi were found to be distributed mainly 

 to the ccfiliac plexus, a small proportion only of the nerves passing directly 

 to the stomach. 



1897. L L 



