514 REPORT — 1897. 



2. Excitation of either great splanchnic nerve has always causeddiastolic 

 tone in the intestine of the cat, with a tendency to diminution of the 

 extent of the normal rhythmical contractions ; these, however, do not, as 

 a rule, cease during the excitation. 



3 Excitation of either splanchnic almost always causes systolic tone in 

 the intestine of the dog. The normal rhythmic contractions are usually 

 continued during the excitations, but their diastole is incomplete. The 

 effect is often followed by diastolic tone. In a few dogs experimented on 

 the effect produced was similar to that in the cat. Varying the rate of 

 excitation pi'oduced no difference in the result in either dogs or cats. 



4. It is concluded that the vagi contain usually no viscero-motor fibres 

 for the small intestine, and that the splanchnics contain both viscero- 

 dilator and viscero-constrictor fibres ; the result obtained depending upon 

 the preponderance of one or other kind. 



5. The effects of stimulating the anterior nerve roots fi'om the 8th to the 

 1.3th post-cervical, or of the cut spinal cord between these roots, are 

 similar to those obtained on stimulating the splanchnic nerves. 



6. Intravenous injection of nicotine produces the same effect, but to a 

 much more marked degree, as stimulation of the splanchnics in the same 

 individuals — i.e., in cats always strong diastolic tone ; in dogs usually 

 strong systolic tone, but in a few cases diastolic tone. 



7. After intravenous injection of about 3 mgr. nicotine in cats, or 

 about 5 to 7 mgr. in small dogs (7 to 10 kilos.) the effects of nerve-root 

 and splanchnic excitation are abolished, but excitation of the mesenteric 

 nerves still produces marked contraction of the intestine. 



8. It is concluded, therefore, that there is proljably no cell station 

 between the nerve roots and the ganglia of the solar plexus — i.e., that 

 the fibres pass through the ganglia of the sympathetic chain without 

 interruption. 



The contrary statement, which I made in a paper presented last year 

 to the Section of Physiology, was based upon the results of two experi- 

 ments only, and the tracings of these were unsatisfactorily recorded ; it 

 has not been confirmed in any of my later experiments. 



The nerves to the small intestine appear, therefore, to conform to the 

 general law laid down by Langley x-egarding viscero-motor fibres, viz. : in 

 having no cell station in the ganglia of the sympathetic chain, and but 

 one cell station between the spinal cord and the peripheral nerves. 



II. Hejmrt upon Electromotive Changes in Nerve during Activity. By 

 Professor Francis Gotcii, F.R.S., and G. J. Burch, M.A. (Oxon.). 



The main object of the present investigation is to ascertain how far 

 the capillary electrometer can be utilised for determining the true rela- 

 tions of the electromotive changes of nerve. Previous observations by 

 many investigators have shown that excitatory electrical changes are 

 propagated along the tissue at a rate closely resembling that of the exci- 

 tatory process itself — i.e., 30 metres in one second in the sciatic nerve of 

 the frog, at 1 5° C. The rate of propagation of polarisation electromotive 

 changes is variously stated to be 6 to 12 metres per second in nerve 

 (Bernstein), 30 to 40 metres in polarisable schemata (Hermann), 60 to 

 120 metres (Borruttau). Since the relationship of the so-called excitatory 

 changes to the polarisation ones must, from the nature of things, be 



