Herbert Mayo

The Nervous System and Its Functions Herbert Mayo

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1842. Excerpt: ... LXV. The phenomena of growth are independent of the cerebrum and cerebellum. The numerous instances of well-grown acephalous infants, which have reached foetal maturity, sufficiently establish that uterine growth at all events is as efficiently performed without as with those organs. And in the instance which I have quoted, in which life continued in such a being between three and four days after birth, no bodily function was manifestly out of order. Cases of idiotcy tend to confirm the same conclusion. The cerebral organs have been incomplete, reason has not had space for development, but the bodily functions have been perfectly performed. In the progressive scale of organization, there are no facts that point distinctly either way. But it is a singular characteristic of fish, in which the cerebral organs are specially rudimentary, that their increase of size seems comparatively indeterminate. LXVI. The healthy nutrition of some parts is disturbed by inflammation when the nerves supplying them are divided. The cases instancing this proposition are the following:--When the pneumogastric nerves have been divided in the neck, inflammation of the stomach supervenes. Upon division of the fifth nerve within the cranial cavity close to the brain in rabbits, M. Magendie found that partial inflammation and opacity of the cornea uniformly supervene. Upon injury of the cauda equina or of the spinal cord sufficient to produce paraplegia, the patient surviving, in the course of some days inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bladder follows, characterized by secretion of tenacious mucus, and the urine becoming ammoniacal. LXVII. The immediate cause of these phenomena is obscure. They certainly arise from the influence of the cranio-spinal cord being cut off; nev...