The effect of movements of the human body on the size of the spinal canal / by R.W. Reid and Ch. S. Sherrington.

  • Reid, Robert William, 1851-1939.
Date:
[1890?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The effect of movements of the human body on the size of the spinal canal / by R.W. Reid and Ch. S. Sherrington. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    THE EFFECT BODY ON THE OF THE HUMAN SPINAL CANAL. BY E. W. EBID, M.D., F.E.C.S. Professor of Anatomy in the University of Aberdeen; and CH. S. SHEEEINGTON, M.A., M.B., Fellow of Cains College^ Cambridge; LecUorer on Physiology in the-School of St, Thomas's Hospital. {From the Physiological Laboratory, St, Thomas's Hospital, London,') OuE object in making the following short series of ex- periments has been to test the possibility of an alteration taking place in the capacity of the cerebro-spinal canal during the performance of such movements as can, under ordinary or extraordinary circumstances, occur in the jointed walls of that canal between the bones composing the cranio- vertebra axis. A few preliminary observations fully sufficed to show us that a change of capacity of the canal does actually take place, although only to a slight extent. These detectable but small alterations it seemed highly desirable to measure, and obtain permanent records of. The following plan of experiment was therefore devised and in its ultimate form found successful. The cadaver, the subject of observation, was suspended from the horizontal arm of a strong vertical stand by means of an iron coronet which encircled the skull and held it by four sharp-pointed thumbscrews, screwed into, but not perforating, the calvaria. An additional precaution against the slipping downward of the cadaver was obtained by in- serting into the external auditory meatus the ends of a scissors-shaped clip (b). This clip was attached to a rope running over two pulleys at the top of the vertical support. A horizontal iron bar (c) which could be adjusted at any desired height on the vertical stand was employed to act as a fulcrum against which the body could be bent. VOL. XIII. 29