C 378 3 
XIX. Further Experiments and Observations on the influence of 
the Brain on the generation of Animal Heat. By B. C. Brodie, 
Esq. F.R. S. Communicated to the Society for promoting the 
knowledge of Animal Chemistry , and by them to the Royal 
Society. 
Read June 18, 1812. 
In the Croonian Lecture for the year 1810, 1 gave an account 
of some experiments, which led me to conclude that the pro- 
duction of animal heat is very much under the influence of 
the nervous system. Some circumstances, which I have since 
met with, illustrate this subject, and seem to confirm the truth 
of my former conclusions. 
In an animal, which is under the influence of a poison, that 
operates by disturbing the functions of the brain, in proportion 
as the sensibility becomes impaired, so is the power of gene- 
rating heat impaired also. 
If an animal is apparently dead from a poison of this de- 
scription, and the circulation of the blood is afterwards main- 
tained by means of artificial respiration, the generation of heat 
is found to be as completely destroyed, as if the head had been 
actually removed. 
Under these circumstances, if the artificial respiration is 
kept up until the effects of the poison cease, as the animal 
recovers his sensibility, so does he also recover the power of 
generating heat ; but it is not till the nervous energy is com- 
