EXPERIMENTS ON DECAPITATED ANIMALS. 
343 
animal food which is consumed in this country, we may state 
that in 1853 there were sold in Smithfield 294,57 1 oxen, 
1,518,040 sheep, 36,791 calves, and 29,593 pigs. The tQtal 
sale of meat, dead and alive, for London consumption, is esti- 
mated at 483,388 oxen, 2,141,393 sheep, 132,976 calves, and 
159,052 pigs. — Quarterly Journal of Public Health. 
EXPERIMENTS ON DECAPITATED ANIMALS. 
By A. Nuhr, of Heidelberg. 
These experiments referred especially to the functions of 
the nerves of the head. The author endeavoured first to 
determine the influence of the facial nerve upon the movements 
of the soft palate, and to ascertain whether it is by the inter- 
vention of the Nervus Petrosus Superficialis that the irritation 
of the facial nerve is transmitted to the soft palate. He saw 
this part contract when he irritated the facial nerve at its 
point of emergence from the cranium, while the contraction 
did not take place after he had cut the petrosal nerve. 
A more interesting experiment is that relative to the action 
of the common oculo-motor nerve on the movements of the 
iris. The conducting wires having been applied to this nerve, 
the pupil was seen to dilate , and not to contract, as was ex- 
pected. The experiment succeeded several times. 
Upon animals, the author found that irritation of the nerve 
re-acted immediately on the muscles of the eye, and produced 
instantaneous contraction of the pupil ; but five minutes 
later, the irritation of the nerve having ceased to be conveyed 
to the muscles, the pupil dilated instead of becoming con- 
tracted. The author thinks that this dilatation is due, not to 
the oculo-motor nerve, but to the great sympathetic. He 
found the same effects ensue by applying the conducting 
wires to the nerves round the internal carotid artery. He 
concludes that the oculo-motor nerve contracts the pupil, 
the great sympathetic dilates it. — Gaz . Med . de Paris. 
