470 
MR. youatt’s veterinary lectures. 
of the plexus which thickly covers the large bloodvessels in 
every portion of their course. The posterior aorta is now more 
richly supplied, and I trace ramifications from it over that part 
of the colon which the anterior plexus had not reached; and to 
the mesocolon with all its glands; and to the rectum: and here 
is a reinforcement of nervous power from the branches of the 
great organic, w'hich I described as still continued along the 
abdomen, after the splanchnics had formed the semilunar gan¬ 
glion. Connected also with this plexus are fibres from the 
lumbar and sacral neves. 
The Renal and Spermatic Plexuses .—Hence I might trace the 
plexus to the kidneys, reinforced by filaments from the lesser 
splanchnic; and I might shew it to you winding round the 
origins of the emulgent arteries, and penetrating with them into 
the very substance of the kidney, and continued even over the 
ureters; and, continuous with the renal, the spermatic plexus, 
diffused over all the organs of reproduction. 
The Hepatic Plexus .—I will mention only one plexus more, 
the hepatic, seemingly one of great importance. I first find it 
around the root of the hepatic artery; and trace it about that 
vessel in its course to the liver, transmitting, however, as it goes 
along, filaments to the phrenic arteries or those of the diaphragm, 
and also to the stomach and the pancreas; and then dividing 
into two collections of complicated branches, the right and the 
left hepatic plexuses. I follow the first over the right hepatic 
artery, and the vena portee, and the biliary ducts, and the gall¬ 
bladder; and some fibres of it are branching off and going to the 
lower orifice of the stomach, and uniting with the cerebro-visceral, 
and proceeding with it down the duodenum. The left plexus I 
can also follow to the liver, and through the ramifications of all 
the vessels of that gland ; and I trace it on to the cardiac orifice 
of the stomach, and observe its anastomosis or identification with 
the cerebro-visceral here ; but till this, gentlemen, and by some 
abler anatomist (for I am now too old for that portion of my labour), 
will, at some not distant time, be better demonstrated to the veteri¬ 
nary class : until then I would • urge you, with anxious and 
profitable care to trace this out for yourselves. You may not 
be able to unravel all the intricacies of the plexuses ; but the 
grand thing will be sufficiently plain, that from this central com¬ 
bination of the influence and power of all the organic nerves, 
every abdominal and pelvic organ and vessel is supplied. 
The Inquiry into the Function of the great Organic somewhat 
unsatisfactory. —And now, gentlemen, comes the most fearful part 
of my subject, the function of this last of the organic nerves. I 
cannot forget what Magendie has so truly said, that “ suppo- 
