8 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
far from being rare in the human subject, and which had com- 
pletely baffled the skill of physicians to furnish any reasonable 
theory as to its causes. 
Another of his great discoveries had reference to the influence of 
the nervous system over the bloodvessels. He showed that the 
bloodvessels are influenced by two sets of nerves — one causing 
diminution of their calibre by exciting their muscular fibres to con- 
traction, the other giving rise to dilation of the vessels. 
This discovery offered for the first time the true explanation of 
changes in the calibre of the bloodvessels occurring in the various 
bodily organs during their states of rest and activity ; and which 
are commonly observed in the face in the conditions of blushing 
and pallor. The whole question of the innervation of the blood- 
vessels is one of great difficulty, which in many of its details even 
now baffles the investigator ; yet although Bernard did not at first 
fully grasp the significance of some of his experiments, he neverthe- 
less gave the key to all the subsequent observations; and the 
accuracy of not one of his experiments has ever been gainsaid. 
His observations were exact, although his interpretations were not 
in every case entirely correct. 
Another of his great investigations had reference to the function 
of the pancreas. By an elaborate research, he proved that the 
fluid which this important organ pours into the alimentary canal 
powerfully affects the fatty elements of the food, converting them 
into an emulsion, and partly saponifying them, so that they may 
be readily absorbed by the lacteals. 
Another important research had reference to the effects of carbonic 
oxide and curara. He showed that carbonic oxide produces suffo- 
cation by combining with the blood-pigment, and thus rendering 
that substance unable to discharge its normal function of conveying 
oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. 
With regard to the Indian arrow poison — curara, he proved that 
it produces a paralysis of motion by acting on the terminations of 
the motor nerves in the muscles. The method of physiological 
analysis by which he proved this is a model for all researches of a 
similar nature. 
The importance of Bernard’s researches on these poisonous sub- 
stances lay in the circumstance that they were conducted from a 
