The nerves certainly possess the power of conveying from one organ to another various impressions besides those of the external senses. This is shown by many familiar phenomena; and in reference to the present subject, is aptly illustrated by the remote or sympathetic effects of mere mechanical injury and natural disease of the stomach. Acute inflammation of the stomach generally proves fatal long before death can arise from digestion being stopped; and it is accompanied with constitutional symptoms, neither attributable to injury of that function, nor developed in so marked a degree during inflammation in other organs. These symptoms and the rapid death which succeeds them are vaguely imputed to the general system sympathizing with the affected part; but it is more probable that one organ only is thus, at least in the first instance, acted on sympathetically, namely, the heart. The effects of mechanical injuries are still more in point. Wounds of the stomach may prove fatal before inflammation can begin; rupture from over-distension may cause instant death; and in either case without material hemorrhage. These observations being held in view, it is impossible to doubt, that some organs sympathize with certain impressions made on others at a distance; nor can we imagine any other mode of conveyance for these impressions except along the nerves. The question, then, comes to be what are the impressions that may be so transmitted? The statements already made will prepare us to expect a sympathetic action in the case of poisons that manifestly injure the structure of the organ to which they are applied. In the instance of the pure corrosives its existence may be presumed from the identity of the phenomena of their remote action with those of natural disease or mechanical injury. It was stated above that the mineral acids when swallowed often prove fatal in a very short space of time; and here, as in mere injury from disease or violence, the symptoms are an imperceptible pulse, fainting, and mortal weakness. Remote organs therefore must be injured; and from the identity of the phenomena with those of idiopathic affections of the stomach, even if there were no other proof, it might be presumed that the primary impression is conveyed along the nerves. We are not restricted, however, to such an argument: The presumptive inference is turned to certainty by the effect of dilution on the activity of these poisons. Dilution materially lessens or even takes away altogether the remote action of the mineral acids. Now dilution facilitates, instead of impeding their absorption: consequently they do not act on remote organs through that channel. There is no other way left by which we can conceive them to act, except by conveyance of the local impression along the nerves.—As to the irritants that are not corrosive, it can hardly be doubted, since they inflame the stomach, that the usual remote effects of inflammation will