The action of nicotin on the ciliary ganglion and on the endings of the third cranial nerve / by J. N. Langley and H. K. Anderson.

  • Langley, J. N. (John Newport), 1852-1925.
Date:
[1892]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The action of nicotin on the ciliary ganglion and on the endings of the third cranial nerve / by J. N. Langley and H. K. Anderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)

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    THE ACTION OF NICOTIN ON THE CILIARY GAN- GLION AND ON THE ENDINGS OF THE THIRD CRANIAL NERVE. By J. N. LANGLEY, M.A. F.RS., Trinity College, and H. K. ANDERSON, MA. M.B., Caius College, Cambridge. The ciliary ganglion in mammals receives nerve-fibres from the 3rd nerve, from the 5th nerve, and commonly also from the cervical sympathetic \ It has in consequence been considered as a group of cells placed, according to the predilection of the particular observer, on the course of either the 3rd or on the 5th or on the ciliary branch of the cervical sympathetic nerve. Since nicotin readily paralyses nerve-cells of the sympathetic type it seemed to us worth vi^hile to determine its action upon the ciliary ganglion. In doing so we have noticed also its effect upon the various functions of the 3rd nerve. Our experiments have been made chiefly upon rabbits and cats, one or two only having been made upon dogs; the animals were in all cases under the influence of anaesthetics; for rabbits, chloral and the alcohol, chloroform, ether mixture were used; for cats, chloroform, the a.c.e. mixture and usually morphia; for dogs, morphia and the a.c.e. mixture. Laying bare the 3rd nerve in the skull presents no particular difficulty. We removed a variable amount of the anterior part of the brain on one or on both sides, and usually tied and cut the 3rd nerve as close to the brain as possible. In the cat, the bleeding, especially from the bones of the skull, is much more profuse than in the rabbit. In some cases the 3rd nerve rapidly loses its irritability, probably in consequence of the great enfeeblement of the circulation of blood in the head, which is not infrequently caused by the operation. As the 1 An excellent account of the anatomical connections of the ciliary ganglion in a con- siderable number of animals, has recently been given by Jegorow [Archives Slaves de Biologie, T. ii. 1886, T. iii. 1887). We have dissected the ciliary ganglion in the rabbit, cat, and dog and have nothing to add toJegorow's account.