Physiological researches on life and death / translated from the French, by F. Gold.

  • Xavier Bichat
Date:
[1815]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Physiological researches on life and death / translated from the French, by F. Gold. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    *o8 In tins respect, as well ason the subject of syncope, Cul- len has been mistaken. The brain during such time, continues in action as usual. 5thly, The numerous phenomena of apoplexy, and epilepsy, and concussion, &c. do certainly all of them tend to shew> how independent the heart is of the brain. 6ihly, Every organ which is subject to the direct in- fluence of the brain, is for that very reason an organ of volition* Now, [ should suppose, that few persons of the present da\ , would be inclined to maintain with Stahl, that the heart is among the number of such organs. What would life be, were we able at will, to suspend the action of the organ, by which the system is animated ? From simple observation, then, we might conclude, that it is not immediately that the heart ceases to act, when the functions of the brain are interrupted, but this fundamental datum of physi- ology and pathology, we shall further establish, upon actual experiment. 1st, If the brain of an animal be exposed, and irri- tated either with mechanical or chemical agents, a va- riety of alterations will, indeed, be produced in the or- gans of the animal life, but none in the heart, so long as the muscles of the breast continue to perform their functions. Cclly, Experiments made in the same manner upon the spinal marrow of the neck, present the same re- sults. r>(\]y, If the eighth pair of nerves be irritated, the movements of the heart will not be accelerated ; they trill not be arrested if these two nerves be divided. In all these experiments, however, we must be careful to make a proper distinction between the emotions and passion s