concerning the Reproduction of Nerves. 197 
as usual. The actions of the stomach were for a long time evi- 
dently deranged, so that he was continually harassed with 
symptoms of indigestion ; and six months had nearly elapsed 
before he recovered his health, though during five months of 
the time he took his usual quantity of food. 
Now, to what cause are we to impute his recovery ? The 
most probable one appears to be, that in the interval of six 
weeks the first nerve had been reproduced ; so that the actions 
of those organs depending upon this nerve, though somewhat 
disturbed, were not suspended. But as the union of the second 
nerve advanced, and the reproduction of the first became more 
perfect, the vital organs gradually recovered their healthy 
state. 
I kept this animal nineteen months, during the greatest 
part of which time he performed the office of a yard dog. 
And here it may be proper to observe, that in all the experi- 
ments, the voice was totally lost on the division of the second 
nerve. This effect anatomists will easily understand, from recol- 
lecting that the recurrent branches of the eighth pair, which 
are the true vocal nerves, originate below the part where the 
trunks of the eighth pair were cut through ; consequently 
those nerves are themselves in effect divided. Now it deserves 
to be remarked, that his voice returned in proportion as his 
general health improved ; and in about six months he could 
bark as strongly as before, but the pitch of his voice was evi- 
dently raised. 
From this experiment, I am strongly inclined to believe 
that there must have been a true reproduction of the nerve ; 
yet I do not contend, that if the part of union were examined 
by an anatomical eye, such reproduction would be very evi- 
