i8o Mr. Cruikshank's Experiments on the Nerves 
the expirations were attended with repeated jerks of the ab- 
dominal muscles, as if he wanted more effectually to expel what 
air was contained in the lungs. The seventh day after this 
second operation, he was found dead, at a considerable distance 
from his bed. In the dead body, every thing seemed in a 
sound state, except the lungs : these contained little or no air; 
in consequence of which, they sunk to the bottom in water; 
they were of a red brown colour, resembling more the sub- 
stance of a sound liver, than that of inflamed lungs. The 
inner surface of the trachea and its branches was exceedingly 
inflamed, and covered with a white fluid, in some places re- 
sembling pus, in others ropy, and more of the nature of mucus. 
The divided nerves of the right side were united by a substance 
of the same colour as nerve, but not fibrous ; and the extre- 
mities formed by the division were still distinguished by swell- 
ings, rounded in form of ganglions. The same appearance had 
taken place, with respect to the nerves of the left side ; though 
the divided extremities seemed to have been full two inches 
apart ; the uniting substance was more bloody than that of the 
other side. This experiment was made, to prove that the origi- 
nal power of action in the thoracic and abdominal viscera was 
independent of the nerves. As I found the nerves regene- 
rated, a circumstance never hitherto observed, it occurred to 
me, that it might be objected to the reasoning, that the two 
first nerves were doing their office, before the two last were 
divided ; to obviate this objection, I made the following ex- 
periment. 
EXPERIMENT III. 
February 19th, I divided, at one operation, the four nerves 
