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nerves and ganglions in producing animal heat. 
blushing, from whatever cause, has been generally considered 
to arise from the rush of blood into the smaller vessels ; 
it must however depend on the state of the ganglionic 
nerves. 
Although the nerves when performing their functions in 
health appear to have no power of producing or keeping 
up the heat of the animal, there is no doubt that when they 
are injured or diseased, heat is produced. Of this in the prac- 
tice of surgery the proofs are without end. 
I do not mean at present to go further into this subject, 
since it would lead me into discussions of some length, re- 
specting the real cause of the increase of temperature excited 
by inflammation and fever ; as however in the first the * 
heat never I believe exceeds the standard heat at the heart ; 
whereas in the second it is raised to 104^^ or 105°; it is 
reasonable to believe that the first is from affections of 
common nerves, the other from affections of ganglionic 
nerves. 
As the torpedo and electrical eel were among the first 
animals that I ever assisted to dissect, and Mr. Hunter's 
account of the structure of the electrical organs, and the 
wonderful supply of nerves with which they are furnished, 
was laid before the Royal Society in July 1773 ; three months 
after I had enlisted under his banner for the purpose of pro- 
secuting human and comparative anatomy, it will only be 
considered as natural, that I cannot conclude the present 
communication, without stating, that the nerves of the tor- 
pedo belonging to the electric organs, however numerou-s, 
not being ganglionic, do not increase the standard heat of 
the animal. 
