ail, for the sake of the opportunity afforded by
doing so of stating the arguments most clearly.

"I divided the spinal marrow of a very lively snake between the second
and third vertebrae. The movements of the animal were immediately before
extremely vigorous and unintermitted. From the moment of the division
of the spinal marrow it lay perfectly tranquil and motionless, with the
exception of occasional gaspings and slight movements of the head.
It became quite evident that this state of quiescence would continue
indefinitely were the animal secured from all external impressions.

"Being now stimulated, the body began to move with great activity, and
continued to do so for a considerable time, each change of position or
situation bringing some fresh part of the surface of the animal into
contact with the table or other objects and renewing the application of
stimulants.

"At length the animal became again quiescent; and being carefully
protected from all external impressions it moved no more, but died in
the precise position and form which it had last assumed.

"It requires a little manoeuvre to perform this experiment successfully:
the motions of the animal must be watched and slowly and cautiously
arrested by opposing some soft substance, as a glove or cotton wool;
they are by this means gradually lulled into quiescence. The slightest
touch with a hard substance, the slightest stimulus, will, on the other
hand, renew the movements on the animal in an active form. But that this
phenomenon does not depend upon sensation is further fully proved by the
facts that the position last assumed, and the stimuli, may be such as
would be attended by extreme or continued pain, if the sensibility were
undestroyed: in one case the animal remained partially suspended over
the acute edge of the table; in others the infliction of punctures and
the application of a lighted taper did not prevent the animal, still
possessed of active powers of motion, from passing into a state of
complete and permanent quiescence."

In summing up this long paper Hall concludes with this sentence: "The
reflex function appears in a word to be the COMPLEMENT of the functions
of the nervous system hitherto known."(2)

All these considerations as to nerve currents and nerve tracts becoming
stock knowledge of science, it was natural that interest should
become stimulated as to the exact character of these nerve tracts in
themselves, and all the more na