Physiological researches on life and death / by Xavier Bichat; translated from the French by F. Gold ... With notes by F. Magendie ... The notes translated by George Hayward, M.D.

  • Bichat, Xavier, 1771-1802. Recherches physiologiques sur la vie et la mort. English
Date:
1827
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Physiological researches on life and death / by Xavier Bichat; translated from the French by F. Gold ... With notes by F. Magendie ... The notes translated by George Hayward, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    before him ; the other or game also, but often stops and esiuhess endeavors to recover the scent, BED ceeds and stops again. The first of these receives à. lively impression of the scented emanation; the organs of the second are only confusedly affected. Now it may be asked whether this confusion does not arise from the unequal action of the two nostrils, from. the superior organization of the one, and from the imperfection of the other ?—the following observations appear to decide the question. à In the coryza, which affects baal one of the nostrils, if the two be suffered to remain open, the sense of smelling is confused ; but let the diseased nostril be shut, and the smell] shall aS EE become distinct. A polypus in one of the nostrils debilitates the action of the pituitary membrane on the affected side, the other remaining in its healthy state: hence, as in the preceding case, ensues a want of harmony in the two organs, and the same confu- sion in the perception of odours. The greater number of the affections of a single nostril have similar effects, which may be all of them corrected by the same means. And wherefore? because in rendering one of the pituitary membranes inactive, we put a stop to the discordance which is occasioned by the deficiency of action in the other. From the above facts (since any accidental cause, which destroys the harmony of -action in these organs, is capable of rendering the perception of odours inexact) we may conclude, that when the perception is naturally inaccurate, there is a natural dissimilarity in the forma- tion of the organs, and therefore a difference of power in them. | The same reasoning may be applied to the sense of taste. It is often the case that one side of the tongue is affected by palsy or spasm, the median line dividing the