of the eighth Pair on the Secretions of the Stomach. 105 
In these experiments, the animals died from the application 
of the arsenic, and the poison produced the usual symptoms, 
with the exception of the copious mucous secretion, which takes 
place in other instances from the stomach and intestines. The 
obvious conclusion was, that this secretion was prevented in 
consequence of the nervous influence having been interrupted 
by the division of the nerves of the eighth pair; but as this 
injury always induces a disturbed and laborious respiration, it 
was desirable to ascertain how far this circumstance might 
have operated towards the production of this effect, and I 
therefore repeated the experiment, but with this difference, 
that the nerves w-ere divided in such a way as not to interfere 
with the functions of the lungs. 
Exp. 4. Having made an incision into the abdomen of a dog, 
immediately below the short ribs, I divided, by means of a 
bistoury, the stomachic ropes formed by the nerves of the 
eighth pair, where they are situated on the oesophagus, im- 
mediately above the cardiac orifice of the stomach. The 
wound was closed by sutures. The respiration was not in the 
least disturbed, but was performed as frequently, and with as 
much ease, as under ordinary circumstances. The animal 
was afteiwvards inoculated in the thigh with the white oxide 
of arsenic, and he died in a few hours after the application of 
the poison, with the ordinary symptoms, except that there were 
no fluid evacuations from the stomach or intestines. 
On dissection, the mucous membrane of the stomach and 
intestines was found inflamed. There was no watery or mu- 
cous fluid in the stomach or small intestines. There was a 
small quantity of mucus in the colon. 
The result of this being the same as that of the former 
# 
MDCCCXIV. P 
