ME.  J.  LISTEE  ON  THE  EAELT  STAGES  OF  INFLAMMATION. 
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could  account  for  this  result,  which  necessarily  implied  that  the  epithelial  tissue  itself 
was  affected  with  loss  of  power  to  discharge  its  accustomed  functions.  In  repetitions  of 
this  procedure  upon  the  same  and  other  portions  of  the  tongue,  I did  not  generally  get 
complete  cessation  of  movement  of  all  the  cilia,  but  usually  some  retained  a languid 
action,  which  improved  after  the  chloroform  had  been  removed.  In  one  instance,  how- 
ever, the  same  perfect  stoppage  took  place  as  in  the  first  case,  and  the  recovery  was  also 
very  general,  though  the  returning  action  was  languid.  Under  these  circumstances,  a 
piece  of  lint  dipped  in  strongest  liquor  ammonise  was  brought  wathin  about  I-|  inch  of 
the  object,  and  retained  there  for  about  fifty  seconds,  during  which  time  the  ciliary  mo- 
tion became  progressively  and  greatly  diminished,  and  within  twenty-five  seconds  of  the 
removal  of  the  hnt,  had  ceased  altogether.  Some  water  was  then  added,  so  as  to  get  rid 
of  the  absorbed  alkali,  when  the  cilia  soon  began  to  move  again,  and  within  about  three 
minutes  their  play  was  more  vigorous  and  general  than  before  the  ammonia  was  used,  and 
three  minutes  later  it  was  universal,  as  it  was  prior  to  the  application  of  the  chloroform. 
On  another  occasion,  in  a different  animal,  the  cilia  having  been  ascertained  to  be  in 
rapid  motion  on  a fresh  piece  of  tongue,  lint  containing  liquor  ammonise  was  held  at  a 
short  distance  from  it  for  thirty-three  seconds.  The  cilia  very  soon  grew  languid,  and 
by  the  end  of  the  time  mentioned  had  quite  ceased  to  act.  The  lint  was  at  once  with- 
drawn, but  no  recovery  occurred ; the  operation  of  the  irritant  had  been  rather  too  ener- 
getic, and  the  vitality  of  the  tissue  had  been  destroyed.  A languid  state  of  the  cilia 
was  also  produced  by  placing  freshly  prepared  mustard  near  them,  and  improvement 
took  place  when  it  had  been  removed ; but  the  essential  oil  itself,  applied  on  lint  like 
the  chloroform  and  ammonia,  though  not  acting  so  rapidly  as  might  have  been  expected, 
permanently  arrested  the  vibratile  filaments.  The  vapour  of  strong  acetic  acid,  if  acting 
for  four  seconds,  caused  great  diminution  of  the  motion,  and  in  another  instance  arrested 
it  completely  in  five  seconds.  I did  not,  however,  see  any  recovery  from  the  effects  of 
this  agent,  which  produced  obUous  organic  injury  in  the  cells.  The  introduction  of  a 
portion  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth  into  a bottle  of  aerated  water  for  about 
twenty  minutes  gave  rise  to  permanent  stoppage  of  the  cilia,  and  similar  treatment  for 
three  or  four  hours  caused  disorganization  of  the  epithelium,  whereas  the  same  period 
of  immersion  in  ordinary  water  did  not  arrest  the  cilia.  Powerful  interrupted  galvanic 
currents,  transmitted  for  a few  seconds  through  a particular  spot  in  a piece  of  tongue 
on  which  the  cilia  were  in  free  movement,  abraded  a portion  of  the  epithelium  there, 
and  arrested  completely  the  cilia  of  adjacent  cells  still  in  situ,  and  rendered  those  of 
other  parts  of  the  specimen  extremely  languid  in  their  action.  But  the  most  satisfactory 
results  were  obtained  from  experiments  with  heat,  which  has  the  great  advantage  over 
chemical  irritants,  that  it  leaves  no  material  behind  it  to  act  upon  the  delicate  tissue. 
On  the  14th  of  December,  1857,  having  ascertained  that  steeping  a piece  of  the  tongue 
of  a frog  for  five  minutes  in  water  of  110°  Fahr.  caused  total  and  permanent  cessation 
of  ciliary  action  and  desquamation  of  the  epithelium,  at  9’’  9'"  p.M.  I placed  a portion  of 
that  organ,  in  which  the  vibratile  movements  were  equable  though  rather  languid,  in 
water  at  100°  Fahr.,  and  retained  it  there  for  a minute  and  a quarter,  when  it  was  trans 
