Whilethesestudiesofthestructureofthecordhavebeengoingon,theingeniousandindefatigableBrown-Sequardhasbeeninvestigatingthefunctionsofitsdifferentpartswithequaldiligence。Themicroscopicanatomistshadshownthattheganglioniccorpusclesofthegraymatterofthecordareconnectedwitheachotherbytheirprocesses,aswellaswiththenerve-roots。M。Brown-Sequardhasprovedbynumerousexperimentsthatthegraysubstancetransmitssensitiveimpressionsandmuscularstimulation。Theobliqueascendinganddescendingfibresfromtheposteriornerve-roots,joiningthe“longitudinalcolumnsofthecornua,“accountfortheresultsofBrown-Sequard’ssectionsoftheposteriorcolumns。Thephysiologicalexperimenterhasalsomadeitevidentthatthedecussationoftheconductorsofsensitiveimpressionshasitsseatinthespinalcore,andnotintheencephalon,ashadbeensupposed。
Notlessremarkablethantheseresultsarethefacts,whichIwithothersofmyaudiencehavehadtheopportunityofobserving,asshownbyM。Brown-S6quard,oftheartificialproductionofepilepsyinanimalsbyinjuringthespinalcord,andtheinductionoftheparoxysmbypinchingacertainportionoftheskin。Iwouldalsocallthestudent’sattentiontohisaccountoftherelationsofthenervouscentrestonutritionandsecretion,thelastofwhichrelationshasbeenmadethesubjectofanextendedessaybyourfellowcountryman,Dr。H。F。CampbellofGeorgia。
ThephysiologyofthespinalcordseemsasimplematterasyoustudyitinLonget。TheexperimentsofBrown-Sequardhaveshowntheproblemtobeacomplexone,andraisedalmostasmanydoubtsastheyhavesolvedquestions;atanyrate,Ibelievealllecturersonphysiologyagreethatthereisnopartoftheirtasktheydreadsomuchastheanalysisoftheevidencerelatingtothespecialofficesofthedifferentportionsofthemedullaspinalis。Inthebrainwearesurethatwedonotknowhowtolocalizefunctions;inthespinalcord,wethinkwedoknowsomething;buttherearesomanyanomalies,andseemingcontradictions,andsourcesoffallacy,thatbeyondthefactsofcrossedparalysisofsensation,andtheconductingagencyofthegraysubstance,IamafraidweretainnocardinalprinciplesdiscoveredsincethedevelopmentofthereflexfunctiontookitsplacebySirCharlesBell’sgreatdiscovery。
BythemannerinwhichIspokeofthebrain,youwillseethatIamobligedtoleavephrenologysubJove,——outinthecold,——asnotoneofthehouseholdofscience。Iamnotoneofitshaters;onthecontrary,Iamgratefulfortheincidentalgoodithasdone。IlovetoamusemyselfinitsplasterGolgothas,andlistentotheglibprofessor,ashediscoversbyhismanipulations“Allthatdisgracedmybettersmetinme。“
Ilovedofoldtoseesquare-headed,heavy-jawedSpurzheimmakeabrainfloweroutintoacorollaofmarrowyfilaments,asVieussenshaddonebeforehim,andtohearthedry-fibredbuthuman-heartedGeorgeCombeteachgoodsenseunderthedisguiseofhisequivocalsystem。Butthepseudo-sciences,phrenologyandtherest,seemtomeonlyappealstoweakmindsandtheweakpointsofstrongones。Thereisapicaorfalseappetiteinmanyintelligences;theytaketooddfanciesinplaceofwholesometruth,asgirlsgnawatchalkandcharcoal。Phrenologyjuggleswithnature。Itissoadjustedastosoakupallevidencethathelpsit,andshedallthatharmsit。Itcrawlsforwardinallweathers,likeRichardEdgeworth’shygrometer。
Itdoesnotstandattheboundaryofourignorance,itseemstome,butisoneofthewill-o’-the-wispsofitsundisputedcentraldomainofbogandquicksand。YetIshouldnothavedevotedsomanywordstoit,didInotrecognizethelightithasthrownonhumanactionsbyitsstudyofcongenitalorganictendencies。Itsmapsofthe。
surfaceoftheheadare,Ifeelsure,foundedonadelusion,butitsstudiesofindividualcharacterarealwaysinterestingandinstructive。
The“snapping-turtle“strikesafteritsnaturalfashionwhenitfirstcomesoutoftheegg。Childrenbetraytheirtendenciesintheirwayofdealingwiththebreaststhatnourishthem;nay,leanventuretoaffirm,thatlongbeforetheyareborntheyteachtheirmotherssomethingoftheirturbulentorquiettempers。
“Castorgaudetequis,ovoproanatuseodemPugnis。“
Strikeoutthefalsepretensionsofphrenology;callitanthropology;
letitstudymantheindividualindistinctionfrommantheabstraction,themetaphysicalortheologicallay-figure;anditbecomes“theproperstudyofmankind,“oneofthenoblestandmostinterestingofpursuits。
Thewholephysiologyofthenervoussystem,fromthesimplestmanifestationofitspowerinaninsectuptothesupremeactofthehumanintelligenceworkingthroughthebrain,isfullofthemostdifficultyetprofoundlyinterestingquestions。Thesingularrelationsbetweenelectricityandnerve-force,relationswhichithasbeenattemptedtointerpretasmeaningidentity,inthefaceofpalpabledifferences,requirestillmoreextendedstudies。YoumaybeinterestedbyProfessorFaraday’sstatementofhisopiniononthematter。“ThoughIamnotsatisfiedthatthenervousfluidisonlyelectricity,stillIthinkthattheagentinthenervoussystemmaybeaninorganicforce;andiftherebereasonforsupposingthatmagnetismisahigherrelationofforcethanelectricity,soitmaywellbeimaginedthatthenervouspowermaybeofastillmoreexaltedcharacter,andyetwithinthereachofexperiment。“
Inconnectionwiththisstatement,itisinterestingtorefertotheexperimentsofHelmholtzontherapidityoftransmissionofthenervousactions。TherateisgivendifferentlyinValentin’sreportoftheseexperimentsandinthatfoundinthe“ScientificAnnual“for1858。Onehundredandeightytothreehundredfeetpersecondistherateofmovementassignedforsensation,butallsuchresultsmustbeveryvaguelyapproximative。Boxers,fencers,playersattheItaliangameofmorn,“prestidigitators,“andallwhodependfortheirsuccessonrapidityofmotion,knowwhatdifferencesthereareinthepersonalequationofmovement。
Reflexaction,themechanicalsympathy,ifImaysocallit,ofdistantparts;Instinct,whichiscrystallizedintelligence,——anabsolutelawwithitsinvariableplanesandanglesintroducedintothesphereofconsciousness,asraphidesareinclosedinthelivingcellsofplants;Intellect,——theoperationofthethinkingprinciplethroughmaterialorgans,withanappreciablewasteoftissueineveryactofthought,sothatourclergymen’sbloodhasmorephosphatestogetridofonMondaythanonanyotherdayoftheweek;Will,——
theoreticallytheabsolutedeterminingpower,practicallylimitedindifferentdegreesbythevaryingorganizationofracesandindividuals,annulledorpervertedbydifferentill-understoodorganicchanges;onallthesesubjectsourknowledgeisinitsinfancy,andfromthestudyofsomeofthemtheinterdictoftheVaticanishardlyyetremoved。
Imustalludetooneortwopointsinthehistologyandphysiologyoftheorgansofsense。Theanteriorcontinuationoftheretinabeyondtheoraserratahasbeenasubjectofmuchdiscussion。IfH。MullerandKollikercanbereliedupon,thisquestionissettledbyrecognizingthatalayerofcells,continuedfromtheretina,passesoverthesurfaceofthezonulaZinnii,butthatnopropernervouselementissoprolongedforward。
IobservethatKollikercallsthetruenervouselementsoftheretina“thelayerofgraycerebralsubstance。“Infact,theganglioniccorpusclesofeacheyemaybeconsideredasconstitutingalittlebrain,connectedwiththemassesbehindbythecommissure,commonlycalledtheopticnerve。Weareprepared,therefore,tofindthesetwolittlebrainsinthemostintimaterelationswitheachother,aswefindthecerebralhemispheres。Weknowthattheyaredirectlyconnectedbyfibresthatarchroundthroughthechiasma。
Imentiontheseanatomicalfactstointroduceaphysiologicalobservationofmyown,firstannouncedinoneofthelecturesbeforetheMedicalClass,subsequentlycommunicatedtotheAmericanAcademyofArtsandSciences,andprintedinits“Transactions“forFebruary14,1860。Irefertotheapparenttransferofimpressionsfromoneretinatotheother,towhichIhavegiventhenamereflexvision。
Theideawassuggestedtomeinconsequenceofcertaineffectsnoticedinemployingthestereoscope。ProfessorWilliamB。RodgershassincecalledtheattentionoftheAmericanScientificAssociationtosomefactsbearingonthesubject,andtoaverycuriousexperimentofLeonardodaVinci’s,whichenablestheobservertolookthroughthepalmofhishandorseemto,asifithadaholeboredthroughit。Asheandothershesitatedtoacceptmyexplanation,I
wasnotsorrytofindrecentlythefollowingwordsinthe“ObservationsonMan“ofthatacuteobserverandthinker,DavidHartley。“Animpressionmadeontherighteyealonebyasingleobjectmaypropagateitselfintotheleft,andthereraiseupanimagealmostequalinvividnesstoitself;andconsequentlywhenweseewithoneeyeonly,wemay,however,havepicturesinbotheyes。“
Hartley,in1784,hadanticipatedmanyofthedoctrineswhichhavesincebeensystematizedintothetheoryofreflexactions,andwithwhichIhaveattemptedtoassociatethisactofreflexvision。Mysixthexperiment,however,inthecommunicationreferredto,appearstometobeacrucialone,provingthecorrectnessofmyexplanation,andIamnotawarethatithasbeenbeforeinstituted。
Anotherpointofgreatinterestconnectedwiththephysiologyofvision,andinvolvedforalongtimeingreatobscurity,isthatoftheadjustmentoftheeyetodifferentdistances。Dr。ClayWallaceofNewYork,whopublishedaveryingeniouslittlebookontheeyeabouttwentyyearsago,withvignettesremindingoneofBewick,wasamongthefirst,ifnotthefirst,todescribetheciliarymuscle,towhichthepowerofadjustmentisgenerallyascribed。Itisascertained,byexactexperimentwiththephacueidoscope,thataccommodationdependsonchangeofformofthecrystallinelens。
Wherethecrystallineiswanting,asMr。Warelongagotaught,nopowerofaccommodationremains。Theciliarymuscleisgenerallythoughttoeffectthechangeofformofthecrystalline。Thepowerofaccommodationislostaftertheapplicationofatropine,inconsequence,asissupposed,oftheparalysisofthismuscle。This,Ibelieve,isthenearestapproachtoademonstrationwehaveonthispoint。
IhaveonlytimebrieflytorefertoProfessorDraper’smostingenioustheoryastothephotographicnatureofvision,foranaccountofwhichImustrefertohisoriginalandinterestingTreatiseonPhysiology。
ItweretobewishedthattheelaborateandveryinterestingresearchesoftheMarquisCorti,whichhaverevealedsuchsingularcomplexityofstructureinthecochleaoftheear,haddonemoretoclearupitsdoubtfulphysiology;butIamafraidwehavenothingbuthypothesesforthespecialpartitplaysintheactofhearing,andthatwemustsaythesamerespectingtheofficeofthesemicircularcanals。
Themicroscopehasachievedsomeofitsgreatesttriumphsinteachingusthechangeswhichoccurinthedevelopmentoftheembryo。NomoreinterestingdiscoverystandsrecordedinthevoluminousliteratureofthissubjectthantheoneoriginallyannouncedbyMartinBarry,afterwardsdiscredited,andstilllaterconfirmedbyMr。Newportandothers;namelythefactthatthefertilizingfilamentreachestheinterioroftheovuminvariousanimals;——astrikingparalleltotheactionofthepollen-tubeinthevegetable。Butbeyondthemechanicalfactsallismysteryinthemovementsoforganization,asprofoundasinthefallofastoneortheformationofacrystal。
Tothechemistandthemicroscopistthelivingbodypresentsthesamedifficulties,arisingfromthefactthateverythingisinperpetualchangeintheorganism。Thefibrineofthebloodpuzzlestheoneasmuchasitsglobulespuzzletheother。Thedifferencebetweenthebranchesofsciencewhichdealwithspaceonly,andthosewhichdealwithspaceandtime,isthis:wehavenoglassesthatcanmagnifytime。ThefigureIhereshowyouawasphotographedfromanobjectpleurosigmaangulatummagnifiedathousanddiameters,orpresentingamilliontimesitsnaturalsurface。Thisotherfigureofthesameobject,enlargedfromtheonejustshown,ismagnifiedseventhousanddiameters,orforty-ninemilliontimesinsurface。Whenwecanmaketheforty-ninemillionthofasecondaslongasitsinteger,physiologyandchemistrywillapproachnearerthecompletenessofanatomy。
Ourreverencebecomesmoreworthy,or,ifyouwill,lessunworthyofitsInfiniteObjectinproportionasourintelligenceisliftedandexpandedtoahigherandbroaderunderstandingoftheDivinemethodsofaction。IfGalencalledhisheathenreaderstoadmire,thepower,thewisdom,theprovidence,thegoodnessoftheFrameroftheanimalbody,“——ifMr。Boyle,thestudentofnature,asAddisonandthatfriendofhiswhohadknownhimforfortyyearstellus,neverutteredthenameoftheSupremeBeingwithoutmakingadistinctpauseinhisspeech,intokenofhisdevoutrecognitionofitsawfulmeaning,——surelywe,whoinherittheaccumulatedwisdomofnearlytwohundredyearssincethetimeoftheBritishphilosopher,andofalmosttwothousandsincetheGreekphysician,maywellliftourthoughtsfromtheworkswestudytotheirgreatArtificer。Thesewonderfuldiscoverieswhichweowetothatmightylittleinstrument,thetelescopeoftheinnerfirmamentwithallitsincludedworlds;