132 
CASE OF INFLAMED LAMINA. 
of the necessary experiments, the humanity of the inquirer re¬ 
flects on him as much credit as his physiological acumen, and 
forms a highly honourable contrast with the recklessly brutal 
system of torture adopted by some other inquirers. 
Bell's Experiments .—He opened the spinal canal of a rabbit, 
and cut the superior roots of the nerves of the hinder extremity. 
The creature crawled. The protracted cruelty of the dissection 
deterred him, he says, from ever repeating this experiment; and 
he reflected that it would be quite as satisfactory if performed on 
an animal recently knocked on the head and rendered insensible. 
He struck a rabbit behind the ear, and exposed the spinal mar¬ 
row. On irritating the superior roots of the nerves he could 
perceive no motion on any part of the frame ; but on irritating 
the inferior roots, at each touch of the forceps there was a cor¬ 
responding motion of the muscles to which the nerve was distri¬ 
buted. This was perfectly satisfactory; and he now felt himself 
justified in coming to the conclusion, that “ the anterior (in¬ 
ferior) roots of the spinal nerves bestowed the power of muscular 
motion, and the posterior (superior) roots sensibility.” 
The true Structure of the Spinal Nerves .—If you will now 
recollect what I have stated of the fibrous structure of the nerves, 
that not only each fasciculus, but each little fibril, was sur¬ 
rounded by its own neurilema, you will easily conceive the pos¬ 
sibility of these nerves of different function pursuing their course 
independent of, and uninfluenced by, each other; or, in the 
words of my great master, if I may dare so to call him, and with 
which I will dismiss you—“ each filament or track of nervous 
matter has its peculiar endowment, independently of the others 
which are bound up along with it, and continues to have the 
same endowment throughout its w 7 hole length.” 
o o 
CASE OF INFLAMED LAMINAE—UNPROFESSIONAL 
CONDUCT. - 
Bp Mr. J. Buckten, V. ‘S'., Middleham , Yorkshire. 
I have for some time purposed sending you a short account 
of a case which occurred last June. It w r as under my care, in¬ 
deed, only a short time; but it was impressed on my memory by 
the ill treatment I received from the owner and a veterinary 
surgeon of established character ; and I have not only a right to 
make it public, but it is in some sort a matter of duty, for 
such things ought not to exist among us.—A mare, seven years 
old, the property of Mr. Ridley, was taken from grass on the 
