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The Royal Society: Science in the Making

Paper, 'On reflex excitation of the cardiac nerves in fishes' by J A [John Alexander] MacWilliam

Reference number: PP/6/5

Date: 1884

Description

MacWilliam writes: 'Cardiac inhibition of a very profound character can be reflexly induced in the eel with a facility that is quite astounding. Slight stimulation of either gill brings about an immediate arrest of the heart’s action, an arrest that may last for several minutes provided the stimulation be continued.' He shares a series of experimental observations.

Annotations in pencil and ink.

Subject: Physiology

Received 4 December 1884. Read 18 December 1884. Communicated by Edward Albert Sharpey-Schafer.

A version of this paper was published in volume 38 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On reflex excitation of the cardiac nerves in fishes'.

Reference number
PP/6/5
Earliest possible date
1884
Physical description
Ink and graphite pencil on paper
Page extent
35 pages
Format
Manuscript

Creator name

John Alexander MacWilliam

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Citation

John Alexander MacWilliam, Paper, 'On reflex excitation of the cardiac nerves in fishes' by J A [John Alexander] MacWilliam, 1884, PP/6/5, The Royal Society Archives, London, https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/pp_6_5/paper-on-reflex-excitation-of-the-cardiac-nerves-in-fishes-by-j-a-john-alexander-macwilliam, accessed on 10 September 2026

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https://makingscience.royalsociety.org/items/pp_6_5/paper-on-reflex-excitation-of-the-cardiac-nerves-in-fishes-by-j-a-john-alexander-macwilliam

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  • Proceedings Papers

    The archival collection known as 'Proceedings Papers' is comprised of manuscripts and occasional proofs of scientific papers sent to the Royal Society which were read before meetings of Fellows and printed in full in the Proceedings of the Royal Society.

    Dates: 1882 - 1894

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