854 ANALYSIS OF CONTINENTAL JOURNALS. 
tion, at the same time serous and plastic, indicated an in- 
flammatory processus, and sufficiently explained the con- 
siderable augmentation of temperature just mentioned. 
Despairing of success from the employment of mechanical 
irritants, we thenceforward employed continuous currents. 
At the commencement, a wire was passed through the 
metacarpal nerve of a horse ; but this procedure is not good, 
for if resorted to during the first trials, in about two or three 
days the nerve was so altered that the irritation was not 
sufficient. It was to obviate this inconvenience that we 
adopted small plates bent at right angles and narrow where 
the bend was made ; one part was introduced beneath the 
skin and rested on the nerve, while the other projected 
beyond the lips of the wound, which we took care to bring 
together by sutures ; this assured better contact with the 
nerve, and allowed the apparatus to be attached. 
The electrodes were hooked each time into the small 
opening that we had made in the external part of the plates. 
The two plates being placed, one above, the other below the 
plantar nerve, we caused in turns the current furnished by 
two or four of Bunsen’s elements to he passed through it. 
In the latter case the pain was insupportable ; the animal 
reared up on its hind legs, and threatened to fall. With two 
elements the pain was less acute and was supportable ; but from 
time to time it caused very powerful contractions in the fore- 
arm and shoulder of the irritated limb ; the animal was 
restless, made deep inspirations, and soon the whole of its 
body was covered with an abundant perspiration. In these 
conditions the rectal temperature was never raised more than 
a degree. 
Such are the results obtained by acting directly on the 
nerves by means of mechanical and galvanic irritants. But 
though we have not succeeded, it does not follow that the 
hypothesis of the neurists is to he abandoned ; we believe, on 
the contrary, that it is necessary to persevere in this way, 
and that other irritating agents should be sought for ; perhaps 
different intermediate conditions may be required. 
Before terminating, some MS. remarks relative to the 
prognosis and treatment of tetanus may be acceptable. 
It is generally believed that the elevated temperatures in this 
disease depend upon the muscular contractions. Our opinion 
is entirely opposed to this, and, to begin with, these high 
temperatures are not the rule ; there are cases of subacute or 
chronic tetanus in which the muscular contractions are very 
extensive, and nevertheless there is only noted, at the most, 
a temperature of 38T° or o8*£°. It is remarkable that, if 
