12 F. J. F. Barrington, 



guinea-pigs, rats and survival operations on cats access to the hypo- 

 gastric was obtained intraperitoneally, through a median abdominal 

 incision : in other experiments on cats extraperitoneally, through a lum- 

 bar incision: it was divided at, or close to, the inferior mesenteric 

 ganglion and stimulated just peripherally to the division. 



The orifices of Barthohn's glands in the cat can be easily seen if 

 the perinaeum is divided mesially in a dorsal direction. The presence 

 and rate of secretion escaping from the duct was estimated by periodi- 

 cally touching the orifice with the corner of a small piece of blotting 

 paper. By this means it was seen that stimulation of the pudic nerve 

 produced instantaneously a flow of secretion from the orifice of the same 

 side simultaneously with the contraction of the perinaeal muscles : this 

 flow ceased almost at once, whether the stimulus was continued or not : 

 after cessation of the stimulus a slight flow in some cases began again. 

 The effect of stimulating the pelvic or hypogastric nerves was quite dif- 

 ferent to that of the pudic : after a variable latent period of from seven 

 to fifty seconds, a flow of secretion from the orifice commenced, this 

 lasted as long as the stimulus — at any rate up to ten minutes — and 

 continued for some seconds after the cessation of the latter. The va- 

 riation seen in the latent period seemed to depend on variations in the 

 amount of ducts of the gland were already distended, it was longer 

 the first time the nerve was stimulated than subsequent times, and 

 was increased again if the pudic nerve of the same side was divided : 

 therefore, the shortest time observed is probably about the true latent 

 period of secretion. This effect of stimulating the hypogastric could 

 not be obtained if the inferior splanchnic nerves had previously been 

 divided where they enter the inferior mesenteric ganglion and allowed 

 to degenerate, showing these secretory fibres of the hypogastric do not 

 arise in the cells of the ganghon but pass through it: stimulation of 

 the pelvic still caused secretion after degenerative section of the in- 

 ferior splanchnics. The intravenous injection of 40 milligrams of nico- 

 tine completely aboHshed the secretory effect of both nerves on the 

 gland. It appears, therefore, that while the hypogastric and pelvic nerves 

 contain secretory fibres to Barthohn's gland, the pudic only supphes 

 the capsule of striped muscle and contains no secretory fibres, and 



