38 Mr. Brodie’s Experiments on the 
With a view to promote the enquiry instituted by the Socie- 
ty for promoting the knowledge of animal chemistry respect- 
ing the influence of the nerves on the secretions,* I endea- 
voured to ascertain whether they continued after the influence 
of the brain was removed. In the commencement of the 
experiment I emptied the bladder of its contents by pressure; 
at the end of the experiment the bladder continued empty. 
This experiment led me to conclude, that the action of the 
heart might be made to continue after the brain was removed, 
by means of artificial respiration, but that under these circum- 
stances the secretion of urine did not take place. It appeared, 
however, desirable to repeat the experiment on a larger and 
less delicate animal, and that, in doing so, it would be right 
to ascertain whether, under these circumstances, the animal 
heat was kept up to the natural standard. 
Experiment 2. 
I repeated the experiment on a middle-sized dog. The 
temperature of the room was 63° of Fahrenheit’s thermo- 
meter. By having previously secured the carotid and verte- 
bral arteries, I was enabled to remove the head with little or 
no haemorrhage. The artificial respirations were made about 
twenty-four times in a minute. The heart acted with regu- 
larity and strength. 
At the end of 30 minutes from the time of the spinal mar- 
row being divided, the heart was felt through the ribs con- 
tracting 7 6 times in a minute. 
At 35 minutes the pulse had risen to 84 in a minute. 
At one hour and 30 minutes the pulse had risen to 88 in a 
minute. 
# Philosophical Transactions for 1809.. 
