77 
SENSE OF SMELLING. 
He also divides the fifth pair, and the animal no longer shrinks 
or sneezes when the ammonia is applied,—and for the plain 
reason, that the nerve of common sensation is destroyed. But 
what does the dog do ? He does that which M. Majendie con¬ 
fesses in hisjJournal, but does not state in his Physiology. \Vhen 
food was offered to him rolled up and concealed in paper, he 
unrolled the paper, and got at the food and ate it; that is, 
although he had lost the common sensibility of the part, he still 
was acted upon by the odour of the meat; or, in other words, 
the true olfactory nerve still remained entire. I confess that 
the experiments of M. Majendie are satisfactory to me, but I 
draw a conclusion from them precisely the reverse of that which 
he did. 
Thus far, however, I am ready to go with him, that there is a 
mysterious connexion between the nerves of common and of spe¬ 
cific sensibility, and that their agency must be combined in 
order to render the function of either complete ; and that, for 
this reason, it probably is that they run to the same part, and 
ramify over the same tissue. I see in every portion of the frame, 
the nerves of organized animal life combining their influence in 
the discharge of the most important functions—they are in a 
manner necessary to each other; but I can separate them from 
each other in my mind, and I can give to each its peculiar 
agency. So here I see the nerves of common and peculiar sen¬ 
sation combining for the perfection of the sense of smell. I can 
believe that the influence of the fibrils of common sensation on 
the tissue may dispose the nervous pulp of peculiar sensation 
more acutely to receive the impression, and to convey it to the 
common sensorium ; but the very experiments of M. Majendie 
convince me that the olfactory nerve is the nerve of smell, and 
that the fifth pair is the common sensitive nerve of the face. 
THE APPOINTMENT OF VETERINARY PROFESSORS. 
To the Editors of “ The Veterinarian .” 
Gentlemen, 
Refering to the notice of the u Concours ” about to be held 
in the ensuing spring, for the election of two professors to the 
vacant chairs at the Veterinary School at Alfort, and to your per¬ 
tinent observations thereon, I take the present opportunity of 
offering to you what have long been my own sentiments on the 
same subject. 
I most cordially agree with you, that “ the man who has for¬ 
gotten many a point of minute anatomy might stand but a poor 
VOL. V. * m 
