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 procedure of experiment was as follows. The scalp over the vertex having been removed, a trepan hole measuring 35 mm. across was made in the highest part of the skull, close to one side of the superior longitudinal sinus. The dura mater was thoroughly removed to an extent corresponding with the trepan hole. We then generally found that the brain was separated from the parietes of the ca^dty sufficiently to admit the handle of a scalpel between it and the overlying dura mater. Water was then poured into the subdural space sufficient to fill up the trepan hole. The water introduced tended to disappear, often rapidly, sinking in level into the subdural space. Especially was this so with the first few ounces poured in; after a certain amomit had been introduced the sinldng became less rapid. When the trepan hole was quite filled with water a small glass tube (d) surrounded by an india-rubber ring was in- serted with as little delay as possible into the hole, and was arranged to fit into it in a perfectly water-tight fashion. Over the end of the glass tube had been prewously drawn a thin membrane which floated on the water filling the sub- dural space ; this membrane was made sufiiciently redundant to allow it a considerable range of movement on the water. The glass capsule itself was filled with water and put into communication by flexible water-tight joints, vdth a length of glass tubing almost horizontally placed (e) . The farther end of this tubing was the lower, and was placed on the same level as the trepan hole in the skull. In the figure the inclination of this tube is represented as greater than it really was. Finally, this almost horizontal tube and the connections intervening between it and the vertical glass capsule were all completely filled with water. Beneath the free end of the tube the scale-pan of a sensi- fiive balance was placed in such a way that it received any drops of fluid ejected from the tube. To the other end of the beam of the balance was attached a thread, which passed vertically downwards, and after running round a light pulley hung, carrying a little weight and armed with a small pen arranged for writing upon the blackened surface of a record- ing drum. The amount of water received by the scale-x?an