2 
Mr . Home’s Lecture 
made upon animal bodies before they are wholly deprived of life, 
and instituted for that particular purpose. 
My attention was directed to this subject by the following 
case, which explains many circumstances respecting the actions 
of the nerves when under the influence of disease, and gave rise 
to the experiments and observations contained in this Paper. 
A person thirty-six years of age, naturally eager and anxious 
in his disposition, whose stomach was peculiarly irritable and 
irregular in its action, in the winter of the year 179b, while 
riding in the country, was thrown from his seat by a sudden 
motion of the horse; and, in endeavouring to save himself, fell 
with his whole weight upon the end of his thumb, against the 
pommel of the saddle. 
The part swelled, and became very painful. A few days after, 
he hurt it again, which prevented the swelling from subsiding, 
and it remained uneasy and enlarged for three or four months. 
It afterwards got well, but the motions of the thumb were not 
always under the command of the will ; so that he was sensible, 
in the years 1797 and 1798, while writing, of finding a difficulty 
in forming particular letters. 
On the evening of the 16th of October, 1799, which was cold 
and damp, he was travelling in a post-chaise with two other 
persons, and let down the window, to speak to the driver. A 
cold wind blew directly into the carriage, and he endeavoured to 
pull up the window ; but, not seeing the glass rise, he looked 
down, and his hand, instead of pulling up the window, was 
lying upon his knee. The thumb was bent in towards the palm 
of the hand; a spasm came upon the muscles of the arm, making 
them bend the elbow; and immediately he became insensible : 
in a quarter of an hour he perfectly recovered himself. Some 
