220 MONTHLY ABSTRACT OF THE PROCEEDINGS 
should have a short neck with a light head, and an expanded 
trachea and chest ; and as a proof of the beauty of such con- 
formation the deer tribe was referred to. 
The more perfect model for animals of speed was stated to be 
the greyhound. 
February 23 d. 
The continuation of the defence of Mr. Taylor’s essay on the 
nerves was this evening undertaken by Mr. Ferguson. Their 
structure he believed not to be uniform. Sometimes they appear 
to be tubular, and to contain medullary matter ; at others, fibrous. 
Their external appearance also varies, some being round, others 
oval. Again, in some their sheath is so thin that the filaments 
of which they are made up (and which differ in thickness, some 
being twice the circumference of others) can be plainly seen ; in 
others, this is so thick, that in order to examine the nerve the 
investure must be removed. This he considered to be a continua- 
tion of the meninges of the brain. 
The whole system he believed to be sympathetically connected, 
and the well-being of anyone part, in a great measure, indirectly 
dependent upon that of the whole. Also that the action of one 
organ, or set of organs, cannot be increased without that of others 
being proportionally diminished. Some parts are also more 
liable to be affected by the derangement of particular organs 
than others, thus proving that a greater sympathetic relationship 
exists between them. In certain cases, he remarked, we can 
trace the medium of this sympathy. It is seen in the connexion 
existing between the stomach and respiratory system by the 
pneumogastric nerves ; and thus we can very satisfactorily 
account for a blow on the stomach causing instantaneous death 
by a rapid exhaustion of nervous energy. Dissolution, in such 
cases, is so sudden, that on examining the seat of injury no 
trace of inflammatory action or extravasation of blood can be 
detected, since sufficient time has not elapsed for any lesion 
of the tissues to take place. Another beautiful example of 
traceable sympathy might be seen in the connexions which exist 
between the different parts of the respiratory apparatus. 
Mr. Ferguson admired the ingenuity displayed in the arrange- 
ment of the nerves into systems by Sir Charles Bell, but ven- 
tured to express a doubt of its perfect applicability to the horse. 
The spinal accessory, he observed, Sir Charles makes a nerve of 
respiration ; but he questioned its being so, for on dissection he 
had found it going to supply the trapezius and sterno-maxillaris 
muscle, the last of which he did not consider a respiratory 
muscle. 
