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their caufe ? The nerves feem to be the chief, perhaps the 
only, organs of fenfibility in man, and the mufcular fibres 
to be the principal feat of irritability ; yet how many are 
the doubts entertained concerning the parts that are and 
are not endowed with one and the other ! how falfe and 
erroneous the conclufions relating to the effedis they pro- 
duce, notwithftanding the many experiments made on 
animals, whofe interior ftru6lureis themoftfimilartoour 
own ! It is then from accurate obfervations on fuch ani- 
mals as bear the leafi: refemblance to our fpecies that we 
may hope for new difcoveries. The fea anemonies are 
exceedingly gelatinous, and at the fame time fo irritable, 
that even light affedls them, though to all appearance 
deftitute of eyes. Might not the rapid and fingular re- 
production of the parts of this animal be attributed to 
their gelatinous texture? and if fo, may we not rea- 
fonably conclude, that the reproduction of our vafcular 
and flefiiy parts in the confolidation of wounds is in 
great 
cipaux, peut-etre meme les feuls organes de la fenfibilite, et les fibres mufculaires le 
fiege de rirritabllite ; que de doutes fur les parties qui en font, ou n’en font pas 
douees I que de faulTes confequences fur leurs efFets, malgre les experiences qu’on a 
faites fur les animaux qui fe rapprochent le plus de I’homme par leur ftrufture in- 
terieure ! C’eft done en examinant avec une attention fcrupuleufe ceux qui s’en 
cioignent le plus que nous pouvons efperer de nouvellcs decouvertes. Les ane- 
mones de mer, animaux extremement gelatineux, font fi irritables, que la lumiere 
les affefte, quoiqu’ils ne paroiffent point avoir des yeux. Unefubftance aulHge- 
latineufe ne feroit-elle point la caufe principale de la prompte et finguliere repro- 
duftlon de leurs parties ? et li cela eft, ne pourions nous pas penfer que dans la re- 
produftion de nos chairs et de nos vaiffeaux, dans la confolidation des playes, &c. 
G g 2 la 
