62 Analyses of Books. [J am. 



m&h contione to beat after they are taken out of the body, ren- 

 dered this conclusion uosvoidable. 2. That when the brain is 

 injured or removed, the action of the heart ceases only because 

 respiration is under its iofloence ; and if, under these circum- 

 stances, respiration is artificially produced, the circulation will 

 still continue. 3. That when the influence of the brain is cut 

 offs the secretion of urine appears to cease, and no heat is gene- 

 rated; notv/ithstandlrsg the functions of respiration, and the 

 circulation of the blood, continue to - be performed ; and the 

 usual changes in the appearance of the blood are produced in 

 the lungs. 4. That when the air respired is colder than the 

 natural temperature of the aniinal, the effect of respiration is 

 not to generate but to diminish animal heat. Upon the subject 

 of animal heat 1 have a few observations to offer; ,but as Mr. 

 Brouie lias another paper on the sul)ject in the Philosophical 

 Transactions for 1812, it will be better to delay them till that 

 paper comes under our review. Mr. Brodie's second paper is 

 entitled, Experirnents and Ghservations on the different Modes in 

 which Death is produced ly certain vegetable Poisons, From 

 these very curious experiments Mr. Brodie draws the following 

 conclusions. 1. Alcohol, the essential oil of bitter almonds^ 

 the juice of aconite, the empyreumatic oil of tobacco, and the 

 Vroorara (a poison used by the Indians in Guiana to poison their 

 arrows) act as poisons by simply destroying the functions of the 

 ' brain : universal death taking place because respiration is under 

 the influence of the brain^ and ceases when its functions are 

 destroyed. 



2. The infusion of tobacco v/hen injected into the intestines, 

 and the upias antiar (a poison used in Java) when applied to a 

 wound, have the power of rendering the heart insensible to the 

 stimulus of the blood, thus stopping the circulation: in other 

 words, they occasion syncope. 



3. There is reason to believe that the poisons, which m these 

 experiments were applied internally, produce their effects 

 through the medium of the nerves, without being absorbed into 

 the circulation. 



4. When the woorara is applied to a wound, it produces its 

 effects on the brain, by entering the circulation through the 

 divided blood-vessels; and from analogy we may conclude, that 

 other poisons, when applied to wounds_, operate in a similar 

 manner. 



5. When an animal is apparently dead from the influence of a 

 poisoHj V;7hic]i acts by simply destroying the functions of the 

 braioj it may, in some instances at least, be made to recover, if 

 jTcc,. * ?^ I e d.tificiailv produced and continued for a certain 



^le ^jipQt published ia the half volu-me of the Transaction§' 



6 ' 



