vagus

As activity in the vagus—also known as vagal tone—increases, a person’s heart rate and respiration slow.

A vagus nerve stimulator, for example, uses a permanent pacemaker-like generator to send gentle jolts through a flexible wire to a section of nerve in the neck.

In 1871, Neftel relieved a case of hay asthma by galvanizing the vagus; but recent books know nothing of it.

Thus the study of their development strongly supports Gegenbaur's view of the nature of the vagus and glosso-pharyngeal, viz.

There is no sign that these are otherwise than perfectly normal branches of the vagus.

The outgrowth of the vagus and glosso-pharyngeal nerves is not continuous with that of the seventh nerve.

It is of importance as shewing the similarity of the branches of the vagus to the dorsal roots of the spinal nerves.