I. Is it directly that the lungs cease to act upon the death of the brain?
I shall have proved that the death of the brain, is not immediately the occasion of that of the lungs, if I can determine that there is no immediate influence exercised by the first, upon the second of these organs, now, this essential principle may be easily demonstrated by experiment.
The brain can exercise an immediate influence on the lungs, only by means of the par vagum or the great sympathetic nerve, the only nerves, which according to the common opinion, establish a communication between the two organs (an opinion however which is erroneous, as the great sympathetic is only an agent of communication between the organs and the ganglions of the system.) Now 1st, The influence which is derived by the lungs from the par vagum, is not actually necessary for them to act. The following experiments will show the truth of this assertion.
1st, Irritate the par vagum on one or both sides, and the respiration of the animal will be somewhat quickened; but such appearance is no proof of an immediate influence, for any wound of the neck, or any wound whatever, provided that it be the occasion of considerable pain, will be the cause of a similar phenomenon.
2dly, Cut one of the nerves, and the respiration will be at once affected, as when the nerve is irritated; but as soon as the pain ceases, the embarrassment of the lungs will disappear; and at the end of four and twenty hours, the phenomena of life be concatenated with their accustomed regularity.
3dly, Divide these nerves on both sides. In this case the breathing will be much more precipitated, and will not return to its ordinary state, as in the preceding experiment; it continues laborious for four or five days, and the animal perishes.[110]
From the two latter experiments it follows, that the par vagum is indeed necessary to the phenomena of respiration, and that the brain must exercise, of course, an influence over this function, but at the same time, it may be seen, that without the immediate influence of the brain, the lungs will continue in play, and consequently that the interruption of such influence, as when the brain is injured, will not be an immediate obstacle to the continuation of the pulmonary actions.
The question whether the functions of the lungs are more immediately connected with the influence derived from the ganglions, may be decided by the following facts.
1st, If on the one and the other side of the neck, the nervous thread be cut, which is usually regarded as the trunk of the great sympathetic, there follows little or no alteration in the phenomena of respiration.