ɪn wˈɪts vˈɜːʒən ʌvðɪ ɛkspˈɛɹɪmənt, hiː ɪnsˈɜːɾᵻd ɐ hˈɑːt wˈaɪɚ θɹuː ðə spˈaɪn ʌvðə dᵻkˈæpᵻtˌeɪɾᵻd fɹˈɑːɡ ænd əbzˈɜːvd ðæt wɛn ðə spˈaɪn ʌvðə fɹˈɑːɡ wʌz dᵻstɹˈɔɪd, nˈoʊ fˈɔːɹm ʌv pɹˈɪkɪŋ ɔːɹ kˈʌɾɪŋ ʌvðə fɹˈɑːɡz lˈɪm ᵻlˈɪsᵻɾᵻd ɐ ɹᵻspˈɑːns.
In Whytt's version of the experiment, he inserted a hot wire through the spine of the decapitated frog and observed that when the spine of the frog was destroyed, no form of pricking or cutting of the frog's limb elicited a response.