OLIVER AND BOYD, TWEEDDALE COURT. MDCCCXC. ALPHABETICAL LIST · CONTRIBUTORS OF ORIGINAL ARTICLES. BALFOUR, GEORGE W., M.D., LL.D., Physician to Chalmers's Hospital. BALLANTYNE, J. W., M.B., M.R.C.P. Ed., Assistant to the Professor of Midwifery in the University of Edinburgh. BARBOUR, A. H. FREELAND, M.D., F.R.C.P. Ed., Lecturer on Midwifery and BELL, JOSEPH, F.R.C.S. Ed., Surgeon to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital for BOYD, FRANCIS D., M.B., C.M., Resident Surgeon, Royal Hospital for Sick BRAKENRIDGE, DAVID J., M.D., F.R.C.P. Ed., Physician to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary; Lecturer on Clinical Medicine, Edinburgh School of BURMAN, C. CLARK, L.R.C.P. & S. Ed. CAIRD, FRANCIS M., F.R.C.S. Ed., Assistant Surgeon, Royal Infirmary, CATHCART, CHARLES W., M.B., F.R.C.S. Eng. and Edin., Lecturer on CHIENE, JOHN, Professor of Surgery, University of Edinburgh. CLOUSTON, T. S., M.D., F.R.C.P. Ed., Physician-Superintendent Royal Edin- burgh Asylum for the Insane; Lecturer on Mental Diseases, Edinburgh CROOM, J. HALLIDAY, M.D., F.R.C.P.E., Physician to the Royal Maternity ELLIS, T. S., Consulting Surgeon to the General Infirmary at Gloucester. FELKIN, ROBERT W., M.D., F.R.S.E., L.R.C.P., L.R.C.S.E., etc., Lecturer on FOULIS, JAMES, M.D., F.R.C.P. Ed. GIBBONS, R. A., M.D., M.R.C.P., Physician to the Grosvenor Hospital for GILLESPIE, ALEXANDER, M.B., Resident Physician, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. HART, D. BERRY, M.D., F.R.C.P.E., F.R.S.E., Lecturer on Midwifery and Diseases of Women, Surgeons' Hall; Assistant Physician, Royal Maternity and Simpson Memorial Hospital; Assistant Gynecological Physician, LANG, W. SCOTT, M.D., F.R.C.S. Ed., Lecturer on Surgery, School of JAMES, ALEXANDER, M.D., Assistant Physician, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh; Lecturer on the Practice of Physic, School of Medicine, Edinburgh. JOHNSTON, R. M'KENZIE, M.D., F.R.C.S. Ed., Surgeon to the Ear and Throat Dispensary; late Clinical Assistant, Ear and Throat Department, KEITH, SKENE, M.B., F.R.C.S. Ed. LESLIE, GEORGE, M.B., F.R.S. Ed. LITTLEJOHN, HARVEY, M.A., M.B., B.Sc. (Publ. Health). MACLAGAN, Sir DOUGLAS, M.D., F.R.C.P. Ed., Professor of Medical Juris- MACKENZIE, G. HUNTER, M.D., Laryngologist to the Eye, Ear, and Throat MACKNESS, G. OWEN C., M.D., B.A. (Oxon.), Broughty Ferry. M'LAREN, JOHN SHAW, M.A., M.B., F.R.C.S. Ed. MILLER, A. G., M.D., F.R.C.S. Ed., Lecturer on Clinical Surgery, and Surgeon to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. MORISON, ALBERT E., M.B., C.M., M.R.C.S., Hartlepool. MUIRHEAD, CLAUD, M.D., F.R.C.P. Ed., Physician to the Edinburgh Royal MURRAY, WILLIAM F., M.D., F. & L.R.C.S. NAISMITH, W. J., M.D., F.R.C.S. Ed. (Exam.), Surgeon to the Ayr County NEVE, ARTHUR, F.R.C.S. Ed., Mission Hospital, Kashmir. NEVE, ERNEST F., M.D., F.R.C.S. Ed., Surgeon to the Kashmir Mission PEDDIE, ALEXANDER, M.D., F.R.C.P. Ed. SMITH, JOHN, M.D., LL.D., F.R.C.S. Ed. SYM, WILLIAM GEORGE, M.D. TAIT, LAWSON, F.R.C.S., LL.D., etc., Professor of Gynecology in Queen's UNDERHILL, CHARLES EDWARD, M.B., F.R.C.P. Ed., Lecturer on the 1827 SEP 17 1890 I. THE SYMPTOMS AND SEQUELE OF THE SENILE HEART. By GEORGE W. BALFOUR, M.D., LL.D., Physician to Chalmers's Hospital. Nascentes morimur, finisque ab origine pendet. -Manilius, Astronomicon. iv. 16. (Continued from page 217.) FOR long the beat of the heart has been supposed by physiologists to be caused by the rhythmic motor impulses proceeding from the cells of the cardiac ganglia to the passive muscular fibres which form that organ. Now there is a decided reversion to the opinion of John Reid, that "in all probability the contractility of the heart depends upon a property possessed by the muscular fibre itself without any necessary intervention of nerves.' This property modern physiologists explain to be the power of spontaneous movement possessed by all undifferentiated primordial protoplasm, and retained by the cardiac muscular fibre, because, though striated, its differentiation is still incomplete, as shown by its cellular constitution and its protoplasmic features, including the obscurity of its striation. This statement of fact is obviously unsatisfactory as an 1 Todd's Cyclopædia of Anatomy and Physiology, article "Heart," vol. ii. p. 613. Foster's Text-book of Physiology, 5th edition, 1888, p. 288, et antea. BrownSequard mentions, "The fact so well established by my friend Professor Lebert, that in the embryo the heart beats when it is merely composed of cells, and when the nervous system has not yet appeared "-Experimental Researches, New York, 1853, p. 118. We find also Funke saying, "R. Wagner den Nerven eine wesentliche Rolle bei dem Zustandekommen der Herzbewegung in ihrem normal Typus und Rhythmus abgesprochen hat, indem er sich auf die thatsache stützte, dass das Herz der Embryo sich Rhythmisch contrahirt, bevor durch das microscop eine spur von Nervenelementen in ihm nachzuweisen ist und bevor die zellen desselben zu quergestreiften muskelfasern entwickelt sind."Lehrbuch der Physiologie, 6t. Auflage, Leipzig, 1879, vol. ii., Abtheilung I. S. 620. A precisely similar observation has been made in regard to the heart of the adult snail by Dr M. Foster and Mr A. G. Dew-Smith, vide Proc. Royal Soc., vol. xxiii., No. 160, p. 313. Portions of cardiac muscular tissue, which certainly contain no ganglia, and may be taken from various animals, can also be induced to execute rhythmic beats which have all the appearance of being spontaneous. These and other considerations connected with the character of the contraction of the cardiac muscular fibre have led physiologists to regard the movements of the heart as spontaneous in character, a step beyond Haller, whose vis insita was merely a power of recognising stimuli. EDINBURGH MED. JOURN., VOL. XXXV.-NO. VII. 4 F |