Alexander Monro

“ The Nervous Energy is stopped by a tight Ligature or by the transverse Incision of a Nerve, although its divided Parts are thereafter placed in contact with each other; whereas the Electrical Fluid or the Fluid excited by the Metals, passes readily, downwards or upwards, along a Nerve which has been tied or cut.
6. After the Limb of a living Animal has been amputated, frequent Convulsions of the same Muscles may be excited by applying Mechanical or Chemical Stimuli to its Nerves ”

“ At the same time, the quantity of Opium absorbed is so small, that I could not distinguish its smell or taste in the Blood; nor did I find these distinguishable, in other Experiments, in which the Frogs were violently convulsed after applying the infusion to the surface of their Skin.
Animal Electricity or different metals applied to the Head of a Frog, or to any part of its Spine above its sixth Vertebra, do not occasion convulsions of its hind Legs. ”

“ When Frogs are prepared as in last Experiment, and the Spine of the first of them laid on Zinc, and the last supported by the left hand of the Operator, if with a gold Probe, held in his right hand, he touches the Zinc, the Muscles of all the Frogs will be convulsed. But if the hind Legs, as well as the Spine, of the first Frog be laid on the Zinc, the Muscles of that Frog will not be convulsed. ”

“ It has been found, that, if a plate of Zinc is applied to the upper part of the point of the Tongue, and a plate of Silver to its under part, on bringing the two Metals into contact with each other, a pungent disagreeable feeling, which it is difficult to describe, is produced in the point of the Tongue. ”

“ On forming a Circle by means of the parts of a living Animal and of two different metallic Bodies, especially Gold and Zinc, in contact with each other, if a Nerve makes part of the Circle, the Muscles in which the Nerve terminates are convulsed. ”

“ As the Nerves of the hind Legs are not affected by Animal Electricity, unless it be applied lower than the fifth Vertebra, these Nerves do not seem to be derived solely or chiefly from the Brain or Cerebellum. ”

“ In like manner, Animals were convulsed as soon as they were wounded, or received the Poison into a Blood-vessel; and long before the Blood could have reached the Muscles in action [8] .
e. As soon as the distilled Water of Lauro-cerasus was poured into the Stomach of a Pigeon, it was convulsed, [16] died instantly [9] , that is, before the Poison could have entered the Mass of Blood.
f. Many years ago, I found, after cutting the Venæ Cavæ and Aorta of a Frog, that a watery solution of Opium poured into the Heart, occasioned, in a few minutes, convulsions in its Legs ”

“ It appears that, in this Animal, there is Sympathy of Nerves after the Head is cut off; or that Sympathy of [13] Nerves does not, in this Animal, depend entirely on the connection of Nerves within the Head. ”