No. 461.

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 30. [1831-32.

LECTURES

ON

VETERINARY MEDICINE,DELIVERED IN THE

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON,BY

MR. YOUATT.

LECTURE XXXIV. ’

THE FRONTAL BONES AND ANTLERS OF DEER.

-THE FRONTALS OF SWINE AND DOGS,AND THE TEMPORAL, PARIETAL, OCCI-

PITAL, NTIIMOID, AND SPHENOID BONESOF HORSES, CATTLE, SHEEP, SWINE, ANDDOGS.

The Frontal Bones if the Deer.-Were I a 1phrenologist I should probably detain you Ia little while by a description of the beauti. Ifully irregular surface of the external plateof the frontal bones in our occasional pa-tient, the deer; covering in him a con-

siderable portion of the brain ; and, fromthe almost total absence of the frontal si-nuses, or those diminutive cells, being con-fined to the orbitar plate and process alone,actually corresponding with the irregular-ities on the surface of the brain. 1 willcontent myself, however, with simplypointing out the extensionof the frontal bonesdown the face; their suture with the nasals;the extraordinarily involved suture betweenthe frontals ; beginning below, with a mereapproximation of parts, where the nasalcavities alone are found : a dove-tailed unioncommencing as soon as this bone begins tocover the brain; and increasing in com-plexity and in strength, and the bones I

thickening and elevating themselves into aconsiderable crest or ridge as we proceedbackward, until we arrive at the parietals,where the intricacy of the union would baffleall human skill to copy. Compare theseheads of the sheep and the deer:—the beadand the horns are the weapons of offence ;-see the different form of the cranial cover-ina in these two animals, and how the

brain is preserved in the one by beinglowered out of the way of danger, and in theother, by this ridge of bone and wonderfulcomplexity of suture. These are illus-trations of design which should not escapeus. To these I may add, the long andwide, and deep, and polished sulcus con-nected with the foramen supra orbitarium,and the projection and turning up of the

superciliary ridge to deepen and to protectthis sulcus, while it gives prominency andexpression to the eye. The depressionacross the frontal bones, resembling insituation and character that across thenasal bones of the blood-horse, indicatingthe degree of breeding, and sometimes awild and unsubdued temper, should not beoverlooked ; but that which principally de-serves attention, is the different construc.tion of the horn or antler.

’

The Antlers. The First Tubercle.—Withthe exception of the rein-deer, they are

confined to the males. The female rein-deer have smaller antlers than the males.At birth there is little difference betweenthe crania of the male and female fawn ;but at six months old a small protuber-ance marks the place of the future antler.It grows, but does not exceed a few inchesin length, and assumes a cylindrical form,covered by a prolongation of the skin. Itconsists of a short solid process of thafrontal bone, bearing on its summit a tu.bercle composed of a substance resem-

bling that of the antler of the adult animal,and which is a singular compound of hornvand bony matter; solid, and even denserand harder than bone. The skin coveringthe tip of this cylindrical body at lengthgives way to its ’pressure, and a diminutivehorn appears.

The Second Antler.-After the cuticle haspeeled off, the tubercle remains stationaryfor several months. The constitution thenbegins to prepare for the aunual oestrum, ordesire to perpetuate the species. Thetesticles of the fawn begin to appear, andthose of the adult animal which had shrunkwhen the period of oestrum had passed,again enlarge ; the vital current flows withincreased rapidity and volume through thaframe. There is a mysterious sympathy

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between the antler, the badge or designa-tion of the sex, and the development of thegenerative organs; and the external carotid,by branches from which the frontals are

supplied, increases in size, and more bloodis determined to this part It cannot, how-ever, be employed iti the nutrition and

growth of the antler, for the vehicle whichcontained the ramifications of the artery,the skin or periosteum of the antler, is gone.Nature, however, finds out a way to accom-plish her purpose : a kind of inflammationis set up at the line of demarcation betweenthe antler and its bony base ; a reddish

ring is observed at the base of the antler,and surrounding it; it may be plainlyenough seen in the adult, and traced withvery little difficulty in the fawn. The in-flammation runs its course, and the processof exfoliation is accomplished. As the deadbone is thrown off from the living beneathit, so this tubercle, or the full-grown antler,is detached from the long process of thefrontal. This shedding or mewing of thehorn takes place in the adult animal in thelatter end of February or March-he hasenormous antlers to complete before hemeets his mate: the tubercle of the fawnremains until May.

’

The Reproduction of the Antler.-A sore is 1now left on the summit of the bony pedestal <

or base, from which hemorrhage sometimes itakes place for two or three days ; but atlength it skins over, and a pellicle or prolon-gation of the surrounding integument perfect-ly covers it. I have spoken, however, of theenlarged caliber of the carotid, and more

B.than the usual quantity of blood which pours Ion in this direction, and must be employed.First, there appears to be a bony secretion ;an irregular bony ring’, a burr, forms aroundthe summit of the frontal process; and fromits centre a tumour springs, and graduallyenlarges and becomes covered with a pro-longation of the integument, through andover which and passing within the bony ring,thousands of blood-vessels ramify to pro-duce and to nourish the future antler. Theroughened and furrowed surface of the ant-ler sufncientlyproves how numerous and howlarge these vessels have been. This tumour

grows and takes upon itself the precise formof the antler that is to be&mdash;it is the antler

, in miniature. At first it is soft-it is filledwith a gelatinous fluid ; but the usual pro-cess of ossification takes place, and this ge-latine speedily gives place to a cartilaginoussubstance. The antler grows and attains

nearly its destined bulk ; when it becomesstill harder : and the cartilage vields in itsturn to a compound of horn and bone, with-out the elasticity of the former, and withmore than the density and strength of thelatter. This hardening process commencesat the base, and spreads upward, the antler

above continuing to grow while any portionof it remains cartilaginous. At first theantler grows with strange rapidity-thereis nothing in the animal frame that can becompared with it. Antlers weighing 2fior 30lbs. are completely formed in little morethan two months; and I have been told,that the horns of some of the Wapiti deer inthe Zoological gardens have increased in

length more than an inch daily.Separation of the Integumenat.&mdash;While thisprocess of hardening is going forward, thevessels are necessarily compressed, and di-minished in caliber. They are particularlyand most speedily so within the burr or ringat the base, and they become at length ob-literated there ; and all nourishment is cutoff from the covering of the antler, and fromthe antler itself. The cuticle, deprived ofnourishment, soon dies-it peels off-it

hangs in strips and rags about the antler,and the animal annoyed by it rubs it offagainst everything within its reach. The

antler, having once become solid, remainsunchanged notwithstanding the deprivationof nutriment, and continues its allotted time; upon the forehead, and when in due time itL is detached from its base, it is more enduringeven than bone isself. This seems to be a

painful process to the animal-the growingantler is exceedingly tender. We may wellimagine this when we consider the vascu-larity of the membrane by which it is

covered ; the stag accordingly retreats intothe thickest coverts, and conceals himselfas much as he can, until he once more hashis branching honours full upon him.

The Age of the Stag as indicated by theAntlers.&mdash;The antler of the first year is amere tubercle ; the second year produees asimple, straight-pointed horn ; in the thirdyear the branches begin to appear,&mdash;twoand sometimes three of them. The usualindication of the age by the number of

branches is a very uncertain one. The

stag of six years old has generally ten ormore branches of different sizes; and, afterthat, the age is guessed at by the size ofthese branches, as well as the more palmatedand crowned appearance of them : while theantler increases every year even to veryold age. Of that age there are some strangestories told. The stag was said to live fora century or more, and we have an accountof one that was taken by Charles VI. in theforest of Senlis, with a collar round his neck

i bearing this inscription, 11 Caesar hoe mihidonavit." Many who were fond of themarvellous at once concluded that this stagwas probably a thousand years old, and thatthe collar had been given by a Roman em-iperor; forgetting that he might have mi-0 -rated from Germany, the emperors of, which assume the name of Csesar. Ther average age is eighteen or twenty years,

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although some have been undeniably provedto be at least thirty-five years old.

Connexion of the Antler with the GenerativeSystem.-In every animal whether wearingantlers or horns, we trace a mysterious con-nexion between their development and thefunction of generation. The branchinghorn of the ox and the stinted horn of the

sheep are proofs of this ; but it is more evi-dent in the ruminants with antlers. The

process of the casting of the antler com-mences when the period of &oelig;strum or rut-

ting is approaching, and the testicles arebeginning to be developed. During thegrowth of the horn they enlarge, and whenthe antler is perfect the stag is prepared toperpetuate his species. If he is castrated

during the growth of the antler it falls off,and a little while afterwards a smaller and

comparatively insignificant one appears,which is not afterwards shed, and whichdoes not perfectly harden.

Use of the Antlers.&mdash;If I am asked whythere is this wonderful provision for theseimmense bodies of so short a continuance,(for they are not perfect until August, andthey are shed in March,) it will be suffi-cient to reply, that they are highly orna.mental to the animal, and that we have founda method of converting them to numeroususeful purposes. There are many thingswhich we could spare better than the hornsof the stag.

THE FRONTAL BONES OF THE SWINE.

These are of a shield.like form, and as

flat as those of the sheep are convex ; yetthe frontal sinuses are much larger thanin the polled sheep, and scarcely lessthan those in the sheep with horns. Theyoccupy the whole of the parietal and tem-poral bones as well as the frontals, andreach, as in the ox, even as far as the con-dyles of the occipital bone. The cells aremore symmetrically arranged than in thesheep or the ox ; there are seven or eightdistinct rows of them. The use of this isnot manifest. Do they contribute to thepiercing shrillness of his cry or to thatacuteness of scent which is necessary toenable him to discover his food, sometimesburied in the earth, or at others surroundedby a strange compound of villanous smells?You will observe in this animal the pe-

culiar strength of suture by which the fron-tals are united to the nasals, in order to en-able him to dig and burrow for his food-thedeep channel for the security of the vesselsfrom the foramen supra orbitanium - thesituation of that foramen, falsely calledsupra orbitarium here, for it is even belowthe orbit-the downward direction of thechannel to guide the vessels to the pro-longed inferior portion of the face, while

the forehead is supplied principally fromthe temporals-but more particularly youwill observe the difference in -the orbitarprocess.

The Peculiarity of the Orbitar Process inOmnivorous and Carnivorous Animals.&mdash;Thisprocess, instead of being prolonged to meeteither the zygomatic arch, as in the horse, orthe bifiireation of the malar bone as in the oxand sheep, is merely a short and insignificanttubercle, and the orbit is completed bv theinterposition of cartilage. This deficiencyin the outer part of the margin of the orbitforms, with very few exceptions, and theseprincipally the bimana and quadrumana, aplain distinction in comparative anatomy be-tween the herbivorous, omnivorous, and car-nivorous animals. In the one, the bony mar-gin in the front of the orbit is complete ;in the others, a portion is supplied by car-tilage. The reason of this is evident. Thisprocess of the frontal bone is a kind of

boundary to the temporal fossa, in whichthe coracoid process of the lower jaw plays,and around which the temporal muscle

(that which is chiefly concerned in masti-cation) is wrapped. The herbivorous animalhas no occasion for any very extensive playof this bone or violent action of the muscle ;and additional security may be given tothe eye by making its external margin com-pletely bony. The food is easily grasped,and the teeth are not the usual or chief

weapons of offence. It is different, however,with the omnivorous and carnivorous ani-mals, who require extensive play of the

) bone and violent action of the muscle in: order to enable them to grasp their prey,ior contend with their foes. The complete4bony margin of the eye would limit them- too much, and the yielding, elastic cartilage: is interposed, to give the requisite room.

THE FRONTAL BONES OF THE DOG.

On these I will not detain you. Theyare also of a shield-like form. There isa peculiar longitudinal depression com-mencing at the parietal ridge, and runningdown to the extremity of the nasals. Thesituation of the frontal sinuses is marked

by distinct protuberances, and there are nosupra-orbitar foramina. The or-hitar pro-cesses are also shorter and the interposedcartilage proportionably longer than in thehog, because this is a carnivorous animal ;and for our service, as well as in his natu-ral state, he requires more powerful actionof the temporal muscles, and more extensiveplay of the coracoid process of the lowerjaw.

Of the other bones of the cranium myaccount will be exceedingly brief, for theyadmit of little physiological and less patho.logical illustration.

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THE PARIETAL BONES.

The Horse.-Above the frontal bones arethe parietals. If I were speaking of theadult animal I should say the parietal, foralthough these bones are distinct from eachother in the foetus and the colt, all trace ofsuture is lost before the horse is three

years old ; and nothing remains but a kindof ridge which they both contribute to form.They are surrounded by the frontals, thetemporals, and the occipital. They areunited to the first anteriorly by the coronalsuture; to the second infenorly by thesquamous ; and to the last posteriorly andsuperiorly by the lambdoidal ; but thelambdoidal is generally obliterated in theadult horse. They cover the middle por-tion of the brain, and constitute the centreof the roof of the cranium.The texture of the parietals is consider-

ably closer and harder than that of thefrontals, for they take a more importantshare in the defence of the brain. Theirdiploe is exceedingly small, and the exter-nal and internal plates are in a manner ag-glutinated together, except in old horses,in which, as I have observed in a formerlecture, the frontal sinuses reach to the oc-ciuut.

They are completely covered by the tem-poral muscle on each side, which I havejust spoken of, as the main agent in masti-cation, and which, not only arising fromthe whole of their convex surface, but fromthe anterior portion of the occipital, fromthe squamous portion of the temporal, fromthe base of the zygomatic arch, and evenfrom a portion of the frontal, possesses im-mense strength. It suddenly narrows, and,taking a curved direction, winds itselfround the coracoid process of the lower jaw,in order to move which it needed to be im-

mensely strong, for it acts with enormousmechanical disadvantage. This, however,belongs to the digestive system.

This origin from the whole of the con-vex surface of the parietal bones is given tothe temporal muscle for another importantpurpose, viz. more effectually to preservethe brain from injury. It is the part of thecranium most exposed to injury, and itcovers the greater part of the brain. Thehorse has no hands to ward off many a dan-ger, and this muscle is placed here, by itssoftness and elasticity, to neutralize almostany violence that could be offered. Thereis but one line of bone uncovered, and thatis the thick ridge of the parietals, prominentboth above and below ; on each side is adense massy muscle offering that securestof all defences, a gradually-yielding resist-ance ; it is the hand receding and stoppingwithout injury or the slightest shock, thecricket.ball hurled or driven with the

greatest force, it is the pillow of feathers,the very cover of which a pistol-ball can.not penetrate,-or the wool-pack huna overthe ship or the wall, and from whichthe cannon-ball falls harmless. The parie-tal of the human being is undefended, thewhole of the cranial roof is exposed; butnature has here given a secure protectionto him who has neither hands nor intelli.gence to ward off the blow.On the internal plate of the skull there is

no suture between the parietals, but thereis a ridge-like projection corresponding withthat on the external plate. Along the centreof this ridge runs a groove for the receptionof the longitudinal sinus. Posteriorly is atriangular bony process, forming a portionof the bony tentorium, peculiar to the horseand the dog ; while the transverse grooves forthe reception of the lateral sinuses are suffi.ciently evident.

In Cattle.-The parietal bone in cattle isa very different one from that which I havejust described. It is but one bone. Here isthe head of a foetal calf, and not the vestigeof a suture can be traced on the parietal; in avery early stage, however, of festal existencethere are two parietals. Not the smallestportion of it appears on the superior partof the head, except at what we should termthe occipital crest in the horse. That ridgeor crest is formed in cattle by the union ofthe frontal and parietal bones. Below this

ridge it extends down almost to the fora-men magnum, occupying the place of theoccipital bone, and giving insertion to themuscles attached to that bone in the horse,and also to the ligament of the neck, andhollowed by cells to its very extremity.When it approaches the root of the horn it

’ suddenly narrows, it becomes a mere bandbetween the occipital and temporal, and thefrontal bones ; arriving in the temporal

; fossa it spreads under the horn, contributes, to give it some support, and unites with

the frontal by a denticulated and squamous- suture. It then suddenly narrows, and is) lost in a process between the frontal andt the temporal.

In Sheep.-In the sheep it has the same

relative position as in the horse, placed an-teriorlv to the occipital ridge, and betweenthe frontal and occipital bones ; but as

there is no muscular covering here, it is de.pressed perfectly out of the reach of danger.The lower and temporal portion of it isalone covered by muscle.

In the Hog.&mdash;The parietal in swine is asingularly-shaped bone, occupying but a

little portion of the cranial roof, and pre.senting as many angles as the shield of

any templar or crusader. If that portionwhich enters in to the construction of theroof of the cranium is flat and devoid of

muscular covering, the symmetrical ar-

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rangemeut of arched cells beneath gives itsufficient strength.In the Dog.&mdash;The parietal bones in this

animal form almost the whole of the roofand sides of the cranium, and are even moredeeply covered by the temporal musclethan the parietals of ther horse. The con-

sequence of this is that the brain of the

dog is securely defended, and it is almost

impossible to destroy him by knocking himon the head.

The different Form of the Parietals in theDog.&mdash;M. F.Cuvier has endeavoured to ar-range the varieties of dogs into threegroups, two of them principally dependingon the form of the parietals, either insen-siblv approaching each other so as to con-tract the cerebral cavity, or swelling out andbecoming rounded, so as to enlarge the hol-low of the skull. The third,variety is cha.racterized by the high frontal and extensivesinuses, and diminished cranial cavity.Among’ the first are the wild dogs, whetherthe East Indian, or the North or SouthAmerican, the Albanian, the Dalmatian, andall the varieties of the greyhound; all ofthem possessed of comparatively little in-telligence. Among the second are themost useful and intelligent of the caninespecies, the spaniel, the terrier, the hound,the poodle, the Siberian, and above all theNewfoundland, the Alpine, and the shep-herd’s dog. To the- third belong the pug,bull dog, and mastiff.

ill. F. Cuvier’s Arrangement erroneous.-I never could satisfy myself of the pro- priety of this arrangement. I have now be-fore me the cranium of a greyhound withthe parietals decidedly rounded and expand-ed, and that of a Newfoundland-dog with thesame bones narrowing superiorly and ridge-formed to a degree that almost staggersmy faith in the connexion between a ca-pacious cranium and superior intelligence.The fact is, the form of the parietals de -pends simply upon the size of the dog.The small spaniel and the terrier have theparietals rounded so as to form almost asemicircle. There is scarcely the vestigeof a ridge. The skull is polished and smooth,and the temporal muscle is spread thinlyover the whole. They want no great powerof muscle to seize their diminutive prey,or to defend themselves from their ordinaryenemies. Even the vermin-terrier has thisrounded cranium. But the terrier and the

spaniel of larger size, and destined forother purposes, needs, occasionally at least,greater strength of jaw; and then theparietals are roughened, and there arisesfrom this centre, formed by them and by aprocess of the occipital bone, a considerableridge to give a firmer and tendinous attach -ment to the temporal muscle ; and that thisridge may be firmly based, the sides oi

the parietals lose their rounded fom andassume a slanting direction, and the cranialcavity and the quantity of brain are to a cer-tain degree diminished, at least superiorly.Hence the difference in the form of the pa-rietal, depending not so much in the breedas on the size of the dog. One thing, how-ever, is observable, that while the thick-ness of the ridge in the centre and theyielding resistance of the muscle on eachside defend the skull not only from ordi-nary, but unusual violence, the want of theridge, and the thinner expansion of muscleon the crown of the skull in the smaller dog,are compensated by a very curious extraplate of bone, which sometimes extends aconsiderable distance on either side of the

parietal suture.

THE TEMPORAL BOXES.

In the Horse.&mdash;There is a temporal boneon each side at the lower part of the wallof the arch, and each may be divided intothree portions :-The Petrous, or hard,stony portion, incloses the mechanism ofthe ear, and is considerably developedwithin the cranial cavity. I shall speak of &pound;this when treating of the auditory system.The Tympanal portion, evidently distinct iathe horse and the dog, and the prolongationof which forms the external bony meatus,while the internal is expanded into severaldistinct cells. And lastly, the Squamous,forming the base of the zygomatic arch, andoverlapping the parietal bone in the form ofa shell. It contributes only in a slight de-

gree to the construction of the cranial cavity.. That portion of it which helps to make thezygomatic arch, and also contains the gle-, noid cavity, into which the condyloid pro-cess of the lower jaw is received, and con-

stituting the joint of the lower jaw, belongsto the digestive system, and all that we arehere concerned with is the squamous or

. overlapping portion placed as a buttress atthe base of the cranial arch to give it

strength ;-the kind of union best adapted inthis situation to neutralize the lateral pres-, sure, and to prevent the base of the archfrom spurring out, when there is pressurer or concussion on the crown., In Cattle.-There is a remarkable varia-tion in the glenoid cavity in cattle, con-s formable to the different mode of mastica-e tion, or, rather, to the process of remastica-r tion ; and from the different situation of the;, parietal, no longer the wall of the arch, bute a mere band, deep in the temporal fossa,s and having no stress upon it, the squamousa suture was not wanted, and is not found ;e it is only in a slight degree dovetailed.I- In the Sheep, Hnb, and Dog.-The sqtia.s mous suture is found in each of these ani-

)f mals; because, from the form of the cra-

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nium, strength is required at the base ofthe arch, but in none of them is this portionof the bone at all developed in the cranialcavity. It does not enter into it in theleast degree in the sheep. ,

The Ossa Triquetra.&mdash;In the horse, thesheep, and more indistinctly in the dog,there is a singularly elongated, yet some-what triangular, bone interposed on eachside between the squamous portion of thetemporal and the occipital bone, and at-

tached at first by suture, and afterwardsby bony union to the petrous portion ofthe temporal bone-the os traquetrum, or

three-sided bone. It reaches from the baseof the occipital crest to the petrous portionof the temporal. It seems to fill up a sortof hiatus or gap between these bones. Ofits use I will not pretend to speak, butCarus is wrong when he traces the bonytentorium of the horse and dog from theossa triquetra. It is evidently derivedfrom the parietals, and from both the pe-trous and squamous portions of the tem-

poral. There is a deep snlcus or channelabout the centre of this bone, in which runsthe occipital artery in its way to the cranium,

THE OCCIPITAL BONE.

In the Horse.&mdash;This bone occupies thesame relative situation in the human beingand the quadruped, although there is muchapparent difference in its position. A con-sideration of the attachment of the head tothe neck in the one .and the other will ex-

plain every difficulty. In the foal it is

composed of four portions, the crest or

tuberosity, the condyloid processes on

either side, and the basilar portion or baseof the bone. The crest or tuberosity is

arch-shaped-it is concave anteriorly, andconvex posteriorly, and in this form offer-ing the greatest possible resistance to in-

jury, and protection to the cerebellum. It

gives origin to the complexus. The con-tinuation of the crest descending towardsthe styloid process on either side, givesattachment to the obliquus capitis superior.Below, and in the centre, is a spinous pro-’cess-some can it a tuberosity-to which isattached the curiously elastic cervicalliga-ment. On each side is a broad roughenedsurface, whence spring the recti posticimuscles; and below is the foramen mag-num, through which the spinal chord andthe sub-occipital nerves escape from thecranial cavity and the vertebral arteries, ’’,and the accessorv nerves enter into it.Still lower, and taking a direction ante-riorly, is a solid projection of bone termedthe basilar (leading to the brain the noblest,or ki,ig among the organs), or, from its

shape, the cuneiform, wedge-like process ;it is the posterior termination of the floor,

or, rather, it is the base of the cranial

cavity or arch. It is solid, to give strengthto the arch, and to break and stop everyvibration or concussion that may be com-municated to it. In this it is assisted bvthe sphenoid bone,, the posterior and solidpart of which early becomes inseparablyunited with this portion of the occipital bone,and so makes one continued solid base alongthe whole of the greater part of the cranium.On either side of the foramen magnum is abeak-like prolongation termed the coracoidor styloid process of the occipital bone.It is peculiar to animals whose heads areset on in a slanting direction. It gives at.tachment to the obliquus capitis anticus.Between these and the condyles are thecondyloid notches or fosss, and imme.

diately anterior to the condyles are thaforamina through which the lingual nervesescape.

In Cattle.-I have anticipated the maindifference in this bono in cattle when de-scribing the parietals ; there is no crest ortuberosity. The condyles are not so muchdeveloped, and the styloid processes aresmaller and curved. The basilar process issomewhat increased in breadth and moretuberculous, but much diminished in length,and there are two condyloid foramina, the

one placed externally and the other inter-nally.

In Sheep.-There is here an occipital’ridge, but it is depressed far in the poll,and presents a very irregular projection,with a direction posteriorly and downwards.The styloid processes are less curved, andthe basilar process yet more compressed,broad, and short, with a peculiar irregu-larity of surface for the insertion of theflexor muscles of the head. You have ob-served the nodding motion of the sheepas he crops the herbage. These had be-gun to appear in the suture between the

occipital and sphenoid bones in the ox.

There are likewise two condyloid foramina.In the Hog.&mdash;The ridge of the occipital

bone is bold and prominent, and forms a notunpleasing termination to the cranium su.periorly and posteriorly. The symmetryof the parts would scarcely be suspected inthe clumsy head of the living animal. The

ridge presents a reverse form to that of thehorse; the concave surface is placed pos-teriorly, and the expanse of the bone be-neath the crest is considerable and per-

fectly smooth. The cervical ligament doesnot reach to the occipital bone here, andthe hog has no occasion for any extraordi-nary strength in the muscles of the neck.

The styloid processes are long, slender, andstraight, and the condyloid foramina, of; which there are two, are close to the base

; of it. The cuneiform process is short, thin,, and weak.

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In the Dog.-Nothing can be so differentas the occipital bone in the small and large Iedog in him, whose prey is diminutive,and the other who has occasionally to- con-tend with noble antagonists. A ridge ofthe occipital bone is received between theposterior edges of the parietals, and is boldor insignificant, according to the destiny ofthe dog. The cervical ligament reacheshere no farther than the dentata ; but in thelarge dog the posterior surface of the occi-pital is roughened to a degree scarcelycredible, for the insertion of the muscles ofthe neck, so powerful in this animal : thereis nothing in the horse or the -ox compar-able to it; and there is no animal who makesso much use of the cervical muscles in

shaking or worrying his foe or his prey.This surface is also unusually broad in themore powerful dogs, and the cranium is

correspondingly so. There is no false pro-jection of the temporal bone, as in everyother domesticated quadruped. The widthof the lower part of this occipital surface isthe actual width of the cranial cavity, andthus compensation is made for the slantingdirection of the parietals, and the compara-tive narrowness of the skull superiorly andanteriorly. When I thus examine it, I findsufficient cranial capacity and bulk of brainin my favouritei Newfoundland and Alpineand shepherd’s dog. The styloid processesare short, and the condyloid foramina dou-ble,

THE SPHENOID BONE.

Of the singularly-formed sphenoid boneI shall say but little. Its body is earlyconsolidated with the basilar process of theoccipital for the sake of strength, while theunion between it and the anterior portion isoften exceedingly slight. The body of thebone is convex and smooth inferiorly, andirregularly concave superiorly and ante-

riorly : on the centre of it lies the pituitarygland. From the sides of the body thereextend two broad and thin bony plates,which are termed the wings. The termi-nation of them is seen in the posterior partof the orbit; and within the cranial cavitythey support the middle lobes of the brain.From the base of these wings there are twoprocesses or legs ; they skirt the aethmoidbones, unite with the palatine, and affordattachment to the internal pterigoid mus-cles. The anterior part of the body of thebone is hollowed into cells in the horse, butwhich are not found in the ox. The sphe-noid bone is small in that animal. In cattlethe cuneiform process is deeper and lessvisible, and the pterigoid processes longer;and there is a very considerable differencein the arrangement of the foramina throughwhich the nerves proceed from the brain,

and the arteries enter into it, and whichI will be noticed when we describe thecourse of the nerves. The external pteri-goid process in the dog presents a curiousloop, round which the tendon of the cir-I cumflexus muscle plays as over a pulley.

THE ETHMOID BONE.

The crista galli, cribriform plate, and na-sal development of this bone, have been de-scribed when treating of the contents of thenasal cavity. The body of the bone is si-tuated at the base of the skull, anteriorly tothe sphenoid bone. It is hollow, and formstwo cavities, called the &aelig;thmoidal sinuses,which are divided by a broad perpendicularplate; and two thin expansions of bone proceed from the sides, which are termed thewings. They spread outwards and upwards,forming the posterior and inner parts of theorbit, where from their smoothness theyare called the ossa plana-their other sur-face forms a part of the cranial cavity, andsupports the anterior lobes of the brain.

THE CRANIAL CAVITY.

All the bones, with the exception in thesheep of the squamous portion of temporal,cap be easily traced in the inner plate of thecranium ; the frontal, parietal, and occipitalsuperiorly; the parietal and temporal la-terally ; the occipital posteriorly ; the occi.pital, sphenoid, and &aelig;thmoid inferiorly ;and the wtlimoid and frontal anteriorly.There are, however, no dovetailed or in-tricate sutures, but the plates lie in approximation to each other ; they are harder andmore glassy and elastic, and by the unionof these substances of evidently differentstructure, every vibration or concussion

which might have spread within the outerplate is diminished and damped, if not de-

stroyed; or that which remains is spreadby the inner elastic plate over the whole ofthe cavity, and rendered perfectly harmlessby this distention.

The longitudinal Falx and bony Tentorium.&mdash;The cavity is divided into two parts,longitudinally and transversely. Of thelongitudinal division, commencing from thecrista galli of the sethmoid bone, curvingforward and upwards along the frontal andparietal until we reach the tentorium, form-ing a thickened ridge of bone for the greatersecurity-of the central arch, grooved for thelongitudinal sinus, and affording attachmentto the duplicature of dura mater, and dippingbetween and separating the lobes of thebrain, I have already spoken, when de-scribing the bones of the skull. Posteriorlyand transversely there commences a moreperfect bony separation. From the centreof the roof, and at the suture between theparietal and the occipital bones, evidently

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belonging to the parietal, and not to theoccipital, as our anatomists describe it, norto the ossa triquetra, as asserted by Carus ;an irregular plate of bone descends, forminga complete division between the anteriorand posterior portions of the cranium. Asit dips downward, it is joined by a similarprojecting plate from each petrous portionof the temporal bone, and these unite to forma curious bony curtain, which, with a du-plicature of the dura mater dipping downfrom it, divides the cerebrum from the cere-bellum, merely leaving sufficient openingfor the crura cerebri to pass underneath.This bony separation is evidently designedto keep these important divisions of thebrain in their proper situation, and to pre-venttheir pressing upon and injuring eachother in the various motions of the head ;but why they should be found in the horseand the dog and not in other animals ofrapid motion, and where the brain is sub-ject to equal concussion and injury, it isdifficult to explain Is it that these animalsare peculiarly our servants, and their speedand other powers taxed not only for ourpleasure, but for various important pur-poses of commerce, of health, and even oflife itself, and that this extra security wasgiven to their brain that they might not failus when their services were most required?

CASE OF

DELIRIUM TREMENS.

By JAMES S. WHITAKER, Esq., F.L.S., &c.

A CASE of this kind in a supervisor ofexcise lately came under my care. Thesymptoms of the disease are well known,and therefore I shall not say more on thathead than that the man laboured underthem in a very severe and determined form.All I wish is to make two or three shortobservations upon certain points in thetreatment of this troublesome complaint,which the present case suggests to me morestrongly than any that 1 have for sometime seen. When I first saw my patienthe was remarkably wild and violent, and Iimmediately gave him three grains of solidopium in a pill. Three hours afterwardshe was no better, and he then took five

grains of opium, with directions to repeatthe dose every four hours until more quietand comfortable. During the two follow-ing days he remained the same, as violentas ever, and never once closing his eyes insleep; the whole of this time the opiumwas continued. In the evening of the thirdday I thought it time to increase the dosesti.l more, and accordingly ten grains weregiven. An hour after this he became moretranquil, and during the early part of the

night slept four hours, awaking more sensi.ble and collected. The opium was now di.minished to three grains. On the fourth

day he had eight hours sleep, and appearedafterwards nearly as well as usual. Fromfirst to last this patient took two drachmsand one scruple of solid opium, and yet nei.ther the pupils nor the pulse were affected;the bowels were not coustipated; not was

there any effect produced whereby it couldbe seen that a single grain of opium hadbeen given, until the moment that he beganto mend ; and even then the anodyne, nar.cotic, and binding effects, were not morethan would have happened from one grainunder ordinary circumstances. It is there-fore manifest, that though the large dosesof opium had been given without any appa.rent result at the time, yet when an effectwas produced it was not cumulative-that

is, it was not a combined result of the vari.ous quantities that had been given, but a

simple effect of the ultimate dose. I have

. always noticed this ; but without offering

. any physiological argument upon it here,’ as it would take up too much room, I shallmerely deduce the conclusions-first of all,f that a precise quantity of opium, varying; in each individual case according to consti-1 tution, temperament, and so on, is required! to saturate (if I may so speak) the unna-

tural stimulus of the disease.2ndly. The absurdity of the fear which

many entertain of repeating the opium oftenin increasing doses, for, as I have shown,no effect is produced unless a certain quan-tity is given, and this quantity acts irre-spective of all former doses. There is nocumulative effect. I am so persuaded ofthis, that I should have no hesitation inenlarging the opium to a drachm in any caseif no relief were obtained.

3rdly. The erroneous policy of -recom-mending, as my late esteemed friend Dr.Armstrong did, and many others, that theopium should be discontinued, supposing itto be ineffectual within the first 43 hours. Iadmit that under their treatment, if reliefbe not obtained in that time it is seldomfound afterwards, because the already smalldoses are still further diminished. I haveproved, and I again repeat, that it is per-fectly safe to give opium, regardless of

quantity, until a decided effect is produced.; To do otherwise than this, is to leave the

patient to a precarious fate, to cast him

upon the uncertain waters of chance, toLlen-tben out a terrible disease, under thepossibility of being alleviated without a

t rigid pursuance of that remedy, whereby itmight be so much more safely, effectually.and speedily removed. It is my intentionto enlarge upon this disease at a futuretime.

225, Shoreditch, June 14, 1832.