reception, of making each spot in the periphery correspond with each spot at the centre. Thus there must be a separate fibrile for each pair of spots between which a communication is to be established. Mr. Edison, I understand, in his plan for domestic lighting, proposes to lay down a cord or cable composed of fine metallic wires, from which at each house to be lighted, a wire goes off from the main trunk until all are disposed of. This is a rough illustration of the arrangement of the nervous fibrils, and an explanation of their number. Mr. Edison also proposes to use the energy thus conducted and distributed as a motive power in each house supplied with it. There is nothing, I conceive, to prevent his utilising his arrangements for telephonic purposes also. Thus, each house might telephone to the centre, and from that, communication might be effected with any house included in the system as might be desired.* No doubt heating power might eventually be obtained. Thus, in an inorganic system, rude and clumsy to be sure, as compared with the arrangements in the animal organism, light and heat, motive power and intelligent communication orally, or by telegraphic signs, may ultimately be established, and all by one and the same fibre. In the light of this knowledge, nerve-cords may be considered as probably simple means for the transmission of various influences to and from the brain, the differences in result being not due to differences in their structure, but to different arrangements, mechanical or otherwise, at their ends, so as to enable them to be affected by light, sound, &c.

To carry on the analogy we must observe that, as in the case of the telephone, the metallic wire is not the carrier of sound directly but indirectly, but that the electric fluid conducted by it is the direct medium of transmission; so the nerve cords may not be the direct agents of transmission. This is improbable when we consider the general uniformity of their structure and compare it with the multiplicity of influences they transmit; but it is likely some fluid or fluids of a nature not yet demonstrated is the carrier of the influence or the influence itself, transmission being indirectly, not directly, due to the nervous cords.

The same remarkable uniformity of structure, combined with an infinite dissimilarity and variety of function strikes us when we consider the cerebral convolutions, and the

Each wire might be identified as bells in a large hotel are.

thought is forced on us that these convolutions are merely organs of transmission and not of origination, being merely intermedia through which invisible and intangible fluids act, themselves the subordinate fluids of transmission of spiritual influences by us inconceivable, and known only by their effects upon this visible and tangible organism constituting animal bodies. I think this is a fair inference from, and in fact the drift of all that has gone before. It seems to me a logical conclusion that where there is similarity, and I may almost say identity of structure combined with infinite variety of function, both in kind and degree, to refer the variety of function not to the homogenous structure, but to some influence beyond the sphere of our observation, acting on it. When we see the orderly arrangement of the keys of a piano in its octaves and semitones, and hear a variety of beautiful tunes and accompaniments proceed from it, as now this, now that performer acts on its keys, we need no teacher to inform us that this variety of beauty and harmony is due to the mind and movements of the performer, to which the instrument merely gives expression. This is a perfect illustration for my purpose, only that in the case treated of the performer or performers are invisible, but in the illustration we see them. The materialist utterly fails in his attempt to account for the phenomena of thought and feeling by the mechanism of the animal organism; on the contrary, a chain of reasoning from the known phenomena leads directly to the conception of an invisible spirit acting on the human organism as its instrument-that spirit affected in its power and character of expression by the structure of its instrument, but only requiring it for its use in present surroundings, and altogether independent of it when it leaves this terrestrial sphere for spheres of another kind.*

In much that occurs in a man's life and expression, his spirit has, I fear, little concern. Much of human life and expression is due to the action of organs within the present material frame and their reflex inter-action, the spirit meanwhile mournfully present and silently protesting, perhaps at last retreating from the scene, leaving the organism, in Oriental phrase, "dead in trespasses and sins." The common-sense way out of this labyrinth seems to be to endeavour to disregard the distracting attractions

Does not this view throw some light on the phenomena of thoughtreading, clairvoyance, &c.?

Homoeopathic

arising from the play of the animal organism and to faithfully give effect to the rational will-power by steady obedience to its dictates. In this process the inhibitories must be freely brought into play, sometimes in thorough brake-wise fashion. Only in this way can a man win his own selfrespect and influence over others, and be the master in his own house. If the earth is God's footstool, the body is man's, and at the change called death, we merely "shuffle off this mortal coil," and come to a fuller knowledge of ourselves and reality.

On looking over this paper I find an illustration of the proverb, "man proposes, God disposes," for I have been led to higher thoughts than those about heat, and for my own comfort I am thankful that I have been so. I trust my readers will share in the feeling. In the next paper 65 revenons à nos moutons."

INDEX TO CASES OF POISONING IN THE ALLOPATHIC JOURNALS.

By E. W. BERRIDGE, M.D.

(Continued from Vol. 22, page 549).

No. 85.-PROVINCIAL MEDICAL AND SURGICAL JOURNAL, 1840-52 (entire work). (The work was afterwards called Provincial Medical Journal and Retrospect of Medical Sciences. Vol. 4 is wrongly numbered vol. 1-1842. I have here numbered it vol. 4. After vol. 7 (1848-4), the journal is numbered by years, beginning with 1844).

Arsenic, i. 155, 482; iv. 119; iii. 21, 257, 269, 489, 505; v. 380, 91, 481; vi. 161, 215, 385; vii. 127, 248; 1844, p. 1; 1845, pp. 458, 556; 1846, pp. 5, 293; 1848, pp. 78, 847, 375, 305, 459, 669; 1849, pp. 54, 72, 489, 611; 1850, p. 291; 1851, pp. 188, 490; 1852, p. 9.

Alum, ii. 162.

Argentum, 1844, p. 177; 1850, p. 600.

Alcohol, v. 454, 887; iii. 109.

Asafoetida, v. 202.

Apis, vi. 161, 280.

Antimony, v. 127, 170, 206, 122; 1844, pp. 47, 204; 1846, p. 610; 1848, pp. 159, 164; 1850, p. 869; 1852, p. 301.

Arum Dracunculus, v. 182.

Amygdala, 1844, pp. 864, 479; 1846, p. 15.

Aconite, 1845, p. 585; 1846, p. 272; 1851, p. 443.

Atropa Belladonna, iv. 79; 1847, p. 98; 1848, pp. 470, 581,

523, 558, 628; 1852, p. 255.

No. 8, Vol. 23.

2 1

Cantharis, ii. 347; v. 239; 1844, p. 31; 1847, p. 417, 554;

1851, p. 78.

Colchicum, vi. 146, 260;

Croton, vi. 149; v. 170;

1852, p. 173.

1849, p. 98.

Cannabis, iv. 407; v. 343, 363, 397, 436, 487; vi. 9, 29, 171, 173, 11; 1844, p. 90; 1845, p. 197; 1847, p. 122; 1848, p. 556; 1852, p. 281.

Copaiba, vi. 227, 243; 1847, p. 165.

Clinkers, iii. 372.

Carlsbad Waters, vii. 224.

Conium, 1845, p. 426.

Cod Oil, 1847, p. 165; 1850, p. 218.

Chloroform, 1848, pp. 54, 61-3, 88, 241, 365; 1851, pp. 62,

277.

Caterpillars, 1850, pp. 24, 802.

Capsicum, 1850, p. 98.

Coluber Berus, i., 276.

Digitalis, i. 297; 1844, p. 9; 1847, pp. 562, 623; 1849, p. 278.

Datura, iv. 291; iii. 126, 210; 1851, p. 699.

Ether, 1846, p. 210; 1847, pp. 27, 54, 80-4, 107-9, 132-5, 139, 160-8, 177, 190-2, 242-3, 263, 270, 300, 330, 486, 528, 554, 299; 1848, p. 401.

Electricity, 1851, p. 333.

Ferrum, 1847, pp. 180, 222.
Gas, i. 391.

Glanders, ii. 222, 241; iv. 458; iii. 499; vi. 267, 433; 1845, pp. 9-10.

Grease (of Horses) 1851, p. 558.

Hydrophobia, i. 184, 44, 196, 227; iv. 113, 257; iii. 442; v. 296, 810, 864; vi. 11; 1844, p. 496; 1845, p. 585; 1848, p. 302, 563; 1849, pp. 332, 596; 1850, p. 291; 1852, pp. 169, 445, 539, 488.

Hydrocyanic Acid, 1844, p. 898; 1845, pp. 158, 461, 481, 517 1847, p. 349; 1848, pp. 428, 586; 1850, pp. 188, 388. Ipomea Carulea, iv. 338.

Iodine, 1847, p. 356; 1852, pp. 81, 107, 126, 209, 258-9.
Juniperus Sabina, 1844, p. 30; 1850, p. 560.

Kali Iodidum, v. 482, 490, 800; 1845, p. 116; 1847, p. 105.
Kali Nitricum, 1844, p. 260; 1846, p. 882.

Mercury, ii. 148; iii. 67, 371, 223, 457; v. 121; vi. 169; vii. 126, 428, 485; 1845, pp. 477, 557; 1846, p. 847; 1847, pp. 52, 79, 306, 398; 1849, p. 229; 1850, pp. 369, 399, 417; 1852, p. 180.

Mussels, 1845, p. 722.

Myristica, 1848, p. 37.

Nicotiana Tabacum, i. 185; ii. 326; vii. 824; 1850, p. 17.
Naja, iv. 60.

Nitric Acid, 1847, p. 361.

Oxalic Acid, 1847, p. 544; 1851, p. 345.

Papaver, i. 334; ii. 233; iv. 102, 201, 347; iii. 103, 129, 499; vi. 22, 32; v. 488. 1844, pp. 68, 90; 1846, pp. 42, 163, 278, 519; 1847, pp. 614, 659, 685, 165; 1848, p. 640; 1849, p. 250; 1850, Platinum, i. 239.

Prunus Laurocerasus, v. 141.

p. 77.

Phosphorus, v. 251. 1844, pp. 251, 254; 1850, pp. 614, 556; 1851, p. 583.

Plumbum, i. 174; ii. 171, 162, 343, 498; iii. 8, 297, 405, 457; v. 61, 163, 204; vi. 308; vii. 18. 1846, pp. 167, 181; 1849, pp. 266, 343; 1851, p. 304; 1852, p. 652. Percussion Caps, 1847, p. 503.

Quinine, iv. 200; v. 260; vii. 230. 1844, p. 229; 1847, p. 581; 1849, p. 52.

Ricinus, vi. 149.

Rheum, 1846, p. 537.

Soot, 1849, p. 127.

Sulphuric Acid, i. 302; ii. 163-4. 1847, p. 187; 1848, p. 68; 1849, p. 250; 1850, p. 558.

Snakes, 1849, p. 390.

Strychnos, iv. 79, 320; iii. 149; vi. 120, 149; vii. 171; 1844,

p. 447; 1845, pp. 761, 747; 1846, pp. 5, 67, 223, 244; 1848, p. 165; 1850, p. 583.

Sumbul, 1850, p. 378.

Solanum Tuberosum, 1846, p. 259.

Sulphuretted Hydrogen, vii. 127.

Sunstroke, iii. 406.

Secale, vii. 391, 378; 1844, pp. 32, 208.

Squills, v. 61.

Turpentine, 1847, p. 165; 1851, p. 612.

Taxus, 1848, pp. 661, 708.

Tanacetum, 1852, p. 180.