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Article NOTES ON SOMNAMBULISM. ← Page 2 of 9 →
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Notes On Somnambulism.
of the body , goes on to state that ' God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life , ancl man became a living soul ;' surely , then , mind and matter are distinct , and not , according to the materialist , inseparable . We ICUOAV , of course , that as long as they continue in union , that is , during life , the body is under the dominion of will . The accustomed expressions ,
— the eye sees , the ear hears , & c , are critically incorrect ; it is the mind that receives intelligence , conveyed through the medium of these organs . Neither must we consider the brain as a thinking machine , any more than a hot iron as the cause of heat ; heat is manifested through the iron , as thought through the medium of the brain ; but thought , like caloric , has a distinct existence . "
" But do not phrenologists rather reverse this , ancl draw their conclusions from the conformation of the skull , as dependent on the development of the brain ? " suggested Mr . Clairvoy . " They represent the various affections of ' frail humanity ' as dependent on the functions of various parts of the brain .
Portions of a man ' s brain have , hoArever , been destroyed , without consequent injury or loss of any function . Some phrenologists go so far as to assert that the soul is double , since the organs of the brain are so . " " I do not yet see how this bears upon the nature of somnambulism , " said Mr . Clairvoy ; " but that I may understand
you clearly , what idea do you attach to the Avord soul ?" " It cannot be defined ; but we form our ideas of it from its manifestations in will , understanding , imagination , memory , and sense . It is not life , for it is imperishable . Theologians tell us of a place where departed spirits continue during the interval betAveen death and judgment . Shakspeare says : — ' The soul , secured in her existence , smiles
At the drawn dagger , and defies its point ; Unhurt amidst the war of elements , " The wreck of matter , and the crush of worlds . ' I have brought forward these points , since the phenomena of somnambulism seem to depend on the relation existing at the time betAveen mind ancl body . You knoAV the nervous system is obedient to the will . A singular account is given
of an experiment upon a cat . The brain ancl spinal marroAV were taken out of the animal , and the skull and vertebral canal filled Avith an amalgam of mercury , silver , and zinc . The cat raised its head , opened and shut its eyes , ancl made ineffectual attempts to walk . In this state it continued for VOL . III . 2 D
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes On Somnambulism.
of the body , goes on to state that ' God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life , ancl man became a living soul ;' surely , then , mind and matter are distinct , and not , according to the materialist , inseparable . We ICUOAV , of course , that as long as they continue in union , that is , during life , the body is under the dominion of will . The accustomed expressions ,
— the eye sees , the ear hears , & c , are critically incorrect ; it is the mind that receives intelligence , conveyed through the medium of these organs . Neither must we consider the brain as a thinking machine , any more than a hot iron as the cause of heat ; heat is manifested through the iron , as thought through the medium of the brain ; but thought , like caloric , has a distinct existence . "
" But do not phrenologists rather reverse this , ancl draw their conclusions from the conformation of the skull , as dependent on the development of the brain ? " suggested Mr . Clairvoy . " They represent the various affections of ' frail humanity ' as dependent on the functions of various parts of the brain .
Portions of a man ' s brain have , hoArever , been destroyed , without consequent injury or loss of any function . Some phrenologists go so far as to assert that the soul is double , since the organs of the brain are so . " " I do not yet see how this bears upon the nature of somnambulism , " said Mr . Clairvoy ; " but that I may understand
you clearly , what idea do you attach to the Avord soul ?" " It cannot be defined ; but we form our ideas of it from its manifestations in will , understanding , imagination , memory , and sense . It is not life , for it is imperishable . Theologians tell us of a place where departed spirits continue during the interval betAveen death and judgment . Shakspeare says : — ' The soul , secured in her existence , smiles
At the drawn dagger , and defies its point ; Unhurt amidst the war of elements , " The wreck of matter , and the crush of worlds . ' I have brought forward these points , since the phenomena of somnambulism seem to depend on the relation existing at the time betAveen mind ancl body . You knoAV the nervous system is obedient to the will . A singular account is given
of an experiment upon a cat . The brain ancl spinal marroAV were taken out of the animal , and the skull and vertebral canal filled Avith an amalgam of mercury , silver , and zinc . The cat raised its head , opened and shut its eyes , ancl made ineffectual attempts to walk . In this state it continued for VOL . III . 2 D