THE MEDULLA OBLONGATA. 
37 
seen of the brain and spinal cord, there is something of vital im- 
portance to be done when all the cineritious matter is collected 
together, and so artificially folded up and accumulated. We 
divide the spinal cord above the olivary bodies, and close to the 
pons varolii ; for a little time depending on the tenacity of life in 
the animal, the breathing goes on somewhat hurried and dis- 
turbed, but it does go on. Every limb is powerless, but the heart 
beats and the lungs heave ; we have destroyed the animal, life but 
the organic life remains. It is independent of the influence of 
the brain ; it continues to act for a certain time, when all con- 
nexion has ceased with the common sensorium of animal and 
intellectual existence. This is an interesting fact. The brain 
has not all that to do with the functions of life which some of 
our teachers had led us to believe. We begin to suspect a great 
deal of inaccuracy of language. With the power of voluntary 
motion, with intellectual life, with that which ennobles the being, 
it has every thing to do, but the functions of animal life can be 
carried on without it. The power which governs the function 
of breathing is situated below the point at which we have di- 
vided the cord. We try another experiment. The intercostal 
nerves! They arise from the motor columns — they are, to a 
certain degree at least, under the control of the will. We divide 
the cord a little above their origin ; the breathing goes on, but it 
is laborious — the diaphragm has the greater part of the duty to 
perform, for the intercostals have ceased to act. Again, we divide 
the spinal cord above the origin of the phrenic nerve, and the 
breathing is still more imperfectly performed : the diaphragm has 
ceased to act , but the respiratory movement exists. Lastly, or, 
if you please, at the very first, we divide the medulla oblon- 
gata — if above the olivary bodies, without any marked effect — 
if below them, still with the continuance of the respiratory 
movement, but very imperfectly performed — if immediately across 
and through them, every respiratory movement being at once 
arrested, and the animal dropping as if struck with lightning. 
The Function of theCorporaOlivaria. — Then we no longer won- 
der at the language of Sir Charles Bell: “The seat of power, 
which controls the respiratory motions, is in the medulla oblon- 
gata “ he who holds the medulla oblongata in his hand has 
the key to the nervous system but we have some little ob- 
jection to it. It is not the medulla oblongata generally, — it is a 
small and isolated part of it — the corpora olivaria , which pos- 
sesses this wondrous power — and that, not only as it regards the 
respiratory movements, but, with one exception alone, every 
movement and every act of organic life. We object to the term 
