88 Dr. Philip’s experiments to ascertain the principle 
Gallois, occasion a loss of power in the heart. He remarks 
that till the above explanation occurred to him, he had 
resolved to abandon this part of the inquiry. “ Apres bien 
“ des efforts inutiles pour porter la lumibre dans cette t£n6- 
“ breuse question, je pris le parti de l’abandonner, non sans 
“ regret d’y avoir sacrifi^ un grand nombre d’animaux, et 
“ perdu beaucoup de temps.” Just before, he observes, “ En 
“ un mot, j’eus presque autant de r£sultats diffdrens que d’ex- 
“ pdriences.” This may be easily accounted for, as he was 
not aware that the rapidity with which any portion of the 
spinal marrow is destroyed, influences the result. We also 
see why the sudden destruction of one half of the spinal mar- 
row, after it had been divided, not only brought death to that 
part of the animal to which it belonged, but to the other also; 
a fact which seems in direct opposition to M. le Gallois’ 
explanation of that we have just been considering. 
In M. le Gallois’ experiments, the spinal marrow was 
always crushed by a stilet, of precisely the same dimensions 
with the cavity of the spine. In the foregoing experiments, 
the spinal marrow was either removed or destroyed by a 
comparatively small wire moved about in it till all its func- 
tions ceased. The reader will easily understand, from what 
has been said, why this apparently slight circumstance occa- 
sions so essential a difference in the result of the experiments. 
We have just seen the difference of the result when any por- 
tion of the spinal marrow is successively destroyed by parts, 
or crushed at once, and when the brain is crushed at once or 
wholly removed. 
We have every- reason to believe, from the experiments 
which have been related, that the peristaltic motion of the 
