ously and perhaps justly pursued his vesicular theory, we shall proceed to what we think he has elucidated in an admirable mannerthe embryonic tissues, and more especially the placenta.

The ovulum, says he, is a vesicle of the ovary which is filled with organizing (organisatrices) substances, and remains stationary, until by contact with the fecundating fluid of the male, its contents being disposed to become organized, it detaches itself from its attachments. This ovulum, when not fecundated, is composed of a vesicle of firm but transparent texture, which is filled with an albumino-saccharine fluid in which no trace of organization is perceptible. M. Raspail, however, once met with an ovulum still attached to the ovary which contained an embryon. After fecundation, as is well known, the ovum is composed of an external vesicle, the chorion, and an internal, the amnios. The chorion, says our author, is first smooth, but afterwards becomes covered with arborescent fibrilla; at this time no appearance of vascularity is perceptible in it; but in a short time a certain number of these fibres are attracted by the surface of the uterus, when a change takes place in their structure, and they become vascular, whilst those which have no communication with the uterus disappear. The vascular fibres ramify and extend themselves till at last they form a large mass, which is the foetal placenta. On the other hand, that part of the uterus which has attracted the fibrillæ of the chorion, also undergoes modifications; by degrees this surface loses its smoothness, and at last receives each of the fibrillæ into depressions which form in it; this perforated surface is the uterine placenta. M. Raspail appeals in proof of the correctness of his views to the following experiment. If, says he, we attempt to separate the two placentas from each other in a careful manner, each bundle of the fibrillæ may be separated from the funnel-like cavity of the uterine placenta. This cavity is perfectly smooth, and does not present the slightest appearance of any intimate attachment having existed between it and the fibrillæ.

These fibrilla of the placenta perform the same function as the vascular papillæ in the intestines, that of inspiring nutritive fluids. At this time the lungs and stomach of the foetus are in a state of inaction; the nutritive matters taken up by the fibrillæ arrive by means of the umbilical cord at the liver, which acts as a digestive organ, and pours out its elaborated contents into the intestinal canal, whose papillæ in turn inspire the nutritive fluid, whence it is conveyed to all parts of the body.

M. Raspail's views respecting the membrana decidua are based on the following proposition :

"That all surfaces of an organ, whether internal or external, having once fulfilled their appropriate functions, become detached, are disintegrated, and expose the layer which they had hitherto covered."

Now, the uterus, during gestation, surpassing all the other organs in development and vitality, must, according to the above axiom, throw off numerous layers, which layers M. Raspail considers as the membrana decidua of authors. This is certainly an extremely ingenious theory, but is not we think borne out by facts; if it were correct, we ought to meet with these deciduous membranes in numbers corresponding to the term of utero-gestation, which is by no means the case; it would lead us too far, however, to attempt any observations on our author's theoretical opinions; we have therefore preferred presenting our readers with an abstract of them without comment.

Under the title of French tissues, M. Raspail next gives an account of those abnormal yet organized productions so often met with in the different organs of the body, as hydatids, &c. These, from an examination he made of a cyst from the wrist, he considers as the eggs of some undescribed species of animals. This terminates the first group of organized substances; the second or organizing substances, includes those natural bodies which are the product of the elaboration to which the contents of the organic vesicle have been subjected under the influence of the vital principle; these the author divides, as in the last group, into vegetable and animal. The vegetable are gum, sugar, and sap, which we regret that we shall be obliged to pass over without further notice than to recommend to the vegetable physiologist an attentive study of the observations on the cellular and vascular circulation in plants, as being decidedly the best account of this mysterious process that has hitherto appeared.

The animal organizing substances are more numerous, but our limits will only permit us to notice what the author says on the blood; this is an extremely interesting portion of the work, and we have been tempted to examine it at some length. After giving the various analyses of this fluid, M. Raspail proceeds to the mechanism of the circulation, which, as might be expected from what we said when giving an abstract of his general theory, he attributes to the expiration and inspiration of the parietes of the vessels.

"As the blood is designed to convey life to all parts of the system, and for the nourishment and reparation of the organs, it is necessary that a part of it should be absorbed by the surfaces which it bathes; these surfaces must have the power of abstracting its nutritive portions, and they must also be enabled to return to it what they cannot elaborate, or in other terms, they must inspire and expire. Now, this double function cannot take place without producing a motion in the fluid, and this must be constant and uniform, from this double function being inherent to every molecule of the surface of the vessels.

"Every surface which aspires, if it be flexible, must in turn be attracted towards the substance aspired, it is therefore evident that this process

alone will explain the movements of the systole and diastole of the heart and arteries. The heart, in fact, being free as regards the greater part of its surface, therefore offers the least resistance to this action, and hence its motion is the most marked. When its internal parieties aspire, or in other words, assimilate the contained fluid, it contracts, when on the contrary, its internal surface expires, being repelled by the fluid it repels, the heart dilates. But as the play of this organ is energetic on account of its size, its movements also add to the rapidity of the circulation in the arterial system, which therefore, besides their own proper actions of aspiration and expiration, present pulsations isochronous with those of the heart."

Such is M. Raspail's theory of the circulation, and it certainly has the merit of being extremely ingenious and plausible; it however requires more proof than he has adduced in its favour, and in its present form is liable to many objections, as for instance, if the pulsations of the heart and arteries were thus the result of a mere assimilating or reparatory process, why should mental emotions exercise so instantaneous and marked an influence on them?

A great diversity of opinions have existed among physiologists and anatomists as to the form and composition of the globules of the blood, and notwithstanding the apparent accuracy of our author's observations on them, the question still remains in an unsettled state. Thus, he asserts that the globules are entirely soluble in pure water, whilst MM. Donne and Boudet, who have repeated his experiments, positively declare that they are wholly insoluble, and still more recently M. Müller has confirmed this fact. All that can with absolute certainty be said is, that the globules of the blood are formed of a colourless substance, enveloped in a red-colouring matter. As respects the coagulation of this vital fluid, the explanation given by M. Raspail is clear, and merits attention. After stating that blood freshly drawn is always alkaline, he goes on to say

"The carbonic acid of the atmosphere, and that which is formed in the blood itself, from its avidity for oxygen, saturates this alkaline menstruum of the albumen, which is then precipitated in the form of a coagulum. The escape of the ammonia (one of the alkalies present), and above all the evaporation of the water of the blood, also set free an additional quantity of albumen."

Our author has subjoined to this account of the blood some observations on the modes proposed by Orfila for the verification of spots of blood. This discovery was considered of the utmost importance in a medico-legal point of view, and remained undisputed for a long time. M. Raspail, however, has most incontestably shown that neither the method of Orfila or the still later one proposed by Barruel can be depended upon, as they may lead to the most unfortunate results if adduced as evidence in cases of suspected murder.

We shall not pursue our examination of M. Raspail's work any

further, for, as we have already stated, to enter on its contents fully would require as many pages as are contained in the treatise itself. The work taken as a whole appears to our minds made up of unsubstantiated theories and the wildest flights of fancies that have ever obtained a place in a scientific work; besides containing much other matter of a political and personal nature, which certainly had better been omitted.

ART. V.-Du Cholera-Morbus en Russie, en Prussie et en Autriche, pendant les Années 1831 et 1832. Par M M. AUGUSTE GERARDIN et PAUL GAIMARD, Membres et Commissaires de l'Académie Royal de Médecine, envoyées en Russie par le Gouvernement Français pour étudier le Choléra. Novelle Edition. Avec des Planches coloreés, &c. &c. Paris. 1837.

THE character of this singular and fatal malady having again been canvassed warmly both here and on the continent, has induced us to put upon record a few slight observations, which we have by professional experience been enabled to make as to the nature of this intricate disease.

In admitting the central point of cholera to be in the abdomen, there are three leading theories which profess to explain the character of the lesion. One of them is the nervous theory; the second that of the passive vascular congestion; and the third that of acute inflammation.

The supporters of the first theory express the opinion, that there is a sedation of organic life in the alimentary canal; especially, that there is a diminution of capillary excitement throughout the whole extent of the mucous membrane, from the mouth to the rectum in all cases of a simple uncomplicated character; and that in cholera maligna there is a universal sedation of organic life, manifested primarily in the capillary tissue, then in the larger vessels and heart, with a consequent passive congestion of an impure blood in the internal tissues, aggravating the sedation, and resisting the natural disposition to re-action; and that there is also a peculiar and morbid irritability of the cerebro spinal nervous system, the apparatus of animal life.

Among the supporters of this theory is Mr. Annesley, who says, "I regard epidemic cholera therefore as essentially an affection of the nervous system, and consider the diminution of the nervous power to be the proximate effect of the efficient cause of the disease that cause being the electrical condition of the air, arising from or accompanied by terrestrial exhalations of a kind unfavourable to animal life."

Another advocate of the nervous doctrine of cholera is Mr. J. Delpech, who gives the following summary of his observations :

"The common and ordinary result has been a remarkable alteration, principally of the semilunar ganglions. Those organs more voluminous, and of a texture less dense than the nerves of the adjoining plexuses, have probably retained better the traces of the physiological alterations which they had experienced; they have often shown themselves swollen, red, more or less strongly injected, and sometimes softened to a very remarkable degree. The injection which penetrates them, colours them red, when in all the remainder of the body the capillary system is injected black. This very remarkable phenomenon cannot fail to recall the painful sensation which occurs so constantly in the prodromes, and in the beginning of cholera, and the precise seat which it occupies.

"The solar plexus is likewise in an unnatural state, which is more or less obvious, but always perceptible by the size of the nerves which conpose it, often by the red injection of their neurilema, and sometimes even by the softening of the nerves which form it, which are then ruptured by the slightest effort, or the lightest pressure. This plexus is then formed by broad red bands, and not by filaments of a grayish white as in the natural state.

"The renal plexuses have presented sometimes alterations of the same kind, but they have not showed themselves so frequently, and never with the same intensity. The affection appears to have been a simple extension of that of the adjoining nerves.

"The same appears to have been the case with the pneumogastric; its inferior part has been seen by us swollen and coloured red, and only by an extension of the alteration of adjoining nerves; this point alone has seemed to have preserved the material traces of an affection which probably had extended further in the length of this nerve. In one case alone the pneumo-cardiac plexus has exhibited itself likewise composed of nerves more voluminous than common"

The preceding extracts from M. Delpech may be considered as exhibiting the very incarnation of the nervous theory, which has likewise its advocates to some extent in Germany. In opposition to this it may be remarked, that the general testimony of anatomists, so far from concurring in it, is adverse; and that in admitting the observations of M. Delpech to be correct to the extent of the cases to which they are applied, they do not harmonize with the generality; and must therefore be left with their appropriate weight to some future day, when their value may be better understood.

Of the advocates of congestion, M. Magendie holds a most conspicuous rank, and has sustained his views with a degree of strength and ingenuity, in harmony with his eminent talents as a physiologist and practitioner. Having, however, taken a wrong point of departure, he has as might be expected from a logical and well-disciplined mind, by keeping up its inferences gone remarkably astray from the truth, and from the host of able men by whom he is surrounded. According to him, the fundamental phenomenon of cholera is a suspension of circulation, which arises principally from a debi