Preliminary account of an inquiry into the functions of the visceral nerves, with special reference to the so-called "inhibitory system" / by Joseph Lister .. ; in a letter to Dr. Sharpey, Sec. R.S. received August 13, 1858, communicated by Dr. Sharpey.

  • Joseph Lister
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Preliminary account of an inquiry into the functions of the visceral nerves, with special reference to the so-called "inhibitory system" / by Joseph Lister .. ; in a letter to Dr. Sharpey, Sec. R.S. received August 13, 1858, communicated by Dr. Sharpey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    36i) of the galvanism the previous intestinal motion returned. The rods were then removed from the helix, and the hattery, thus diminished, was applied on several occasions, with markedly increased action of the intestines in every instance during the first twenty-five minutes. In the next half hour the increase of action from the galvanism, though still distinct, was less strongly marked; and at the end of that period, the rods having been reintroduced, the inhibiting influence was also found to be much less complete than before, indicating that the parts of the nervous apparatus concerned were in a less active condition, no doubt in consequence of exhaustion. The arches of the tenth and eleventh dorsal vertebrae having been removed be- fore the experiments with galvanism, I subsequently introduced a fine needle into the exposed part of the cord, with the effect of causing in repeated instances increased movements of the intestines, which were especially striking on account of the occurrence of pecu- liar local contractions not seen at other times. Further observations upon this animal tended to confirm those which have been men- tioned, as did an experiment of the same kind performed the next day upon another rabbit. I afterwards found that the best mode of proceeding was to re- move the skin and one or two layers of muscles from a portion of the abdomen till the parietes were sufiiciently thinned to permit the intestines to be distinctly seen through them; by this means the complication produced by exposure of the intestines to the atmo- sphere was avoided, and the most satisfactory results were obtained; the increase of the peristaltic movements during the transmission of extremely feeble shocks being strikingly aj)parent and constant on every occasion. During the experiment performed in this way I noticed several times that a violent struggle on the part of the rabbit, when the intestines were in pretty free movement, was followed by absolute and universal quiescence of those organs for several se- conds ; this appeared to me of great interest, as proving that the inhibitory influence is certainly sometimes exerted in the natural actions of the animal, and is not merely the result of artificial sti- mulation. In the course of the above experiments several other observations were made. In the first place I verified the statement of Pfliigev, that if, when the intestine is lying relaxed under tlic inhibiting 2 c 2
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