Lectures and Essays on the Science and Practice of Surgery Volume 2

Lectures And Essays On The Science And Practice Of Surgery by Robert McDonnell. This volume collects lectures and essays on the physiology and pathology of the nervous system, with a focus on the spinal cord and medulla oblongata. It surveys competing theories of spinal function, notably Brown-Séquard’s contrasts with Bell-Longet and their successors, and includes critical analyses of the grey matter as the principal channel for sensory transmission and the decussation of sensory and motor pathways within the spinal cord. It also contains the New Theory of Nervous Action Regarding Transmission of Sensation along the Nerves, proposing an undulatory model of nerve conduction and challenging simple tract-based localization. In addition, the volume includes lectures on physiology applied to practice, in which the author describes numerous animal experiments to illustrate reflex actions, vaso-motor control, heart regulation, and epileptiform phenomena, followed by lectures on the functions of the spinal cord and medulla oblongata. The work emphasizes experimental method, clinical implication, and the relationship between nervous action and disease.