Posthumous tracts

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ΤΗΕ early stages and successive growth of animal embryos, afford clear prooss that muscle and muscular action are ultimate determinations. The simple fibre Whicli comes first os est, immediately that it springs Dom iis natat cortex, forms or bulldsthe medullary or nervous fibre by a process of convolution, and the lalter again eligenders the blood-vesset. This is in orderthat the nervous fibre and the blood-vesset may construct themotive fibre of whicli the muscle is composed. Thus the motive fibre, by means of Whicli action is produced, is the last or ultimate determination. There is hoWever the simpler motive fibreand the compotand. The simpler is composed of nothing but nervous fibres and capillaries, the lalter containing the purerblood. The compound is made up at One and the fame time, of nervous fibres, capillary Vesseis, and of the Vesseis Whicli carrytho red blood. Both a nerve and an artery go to eVery muSele.

MeanWhile, the universat body, the viscera of the body, and the paris of the viscera, are constructed of nothing but motive fibres; the reason of Whicli is, that ali things therein are bornand made sor some action, that the foui may be represented in a type by real actions in the extreme sphere; sor the foui Would never be justly manifested in the ultimate Worid, unless it be-

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The sirst inspoction and contemplation os the animate bodyWhen stripped os iis integuments, is sufficient to fhew, that thewhole frame is so distinci and articulate With muscies, as torepresent ali possibie actions Whatever that are conformabie tothe operations of the soles. The hestri is in nil respectes a muscle, and so articulato, that it admits of being expanded, compreSSed, sexed and res exed in a thousand Ways; and iis Ruricles thesame. LikeWise the lungs, the stomach, the intestines, theliver, the di aphragm, kc. Which shews that everything be- longing to the body, everything corporeat, is also muScular, OrWhat amounts to the fame thing, is ready ser motion and action. There is not a single artery but is hegiri by muscular circles, toaccommodate itself to the blood and the fluxion thoreos Thesame may be said Os every fibrii in every circle. Τhis is very platu in the fibres, Whicli are the minutest paris of the body. Every one of them en joys iis oWn peculiar activity, though onsuch conditions, that it is bound doWn to act for the communityit belongs to at the fame time as for itself. Such also is thecondition os the paris of the whole body and ali iis viscera. Therelare Whateuer part therein is not active, cannot of right be regarded as living or animate; since it is the end of formation in every pari, that such part should operate ansu er ly totho sorce of the SOul.

The translator has preferred to resian in generat the term animaled rather thanto use the more Εnglisti Word liviny; because the former appears beller to express

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froin the growth of the embryo in the womb, and of the chichin the egg. Each severat fibre is so separated frOm iis companion, at the samo time that it is linked to it, and bound downto serve it, that it ut once attends to iis own interest stud sub- Serves the common weal. In the periods hoWever of ad vincinglife and old ago, the fibres either groW together, Or they are parted afunder, und confused and indistinct rection is the result. Indeed When one part acts either separalely from, Or altogether united ly With, another, there can be no liberty, and where thereis not liberty there cannot be harmony. In proportion theri RSthe viscera, and the paris of the viscera, me distinet an d Dee, at the fame time that they aro unanimous and actually uni ted in guarding the common Weat, in the fame proportion their state is perfeci. These are in laci the only conditions oti Whichthe body can comply With the bidding of the mind, Whicli operates in the highest sphere os singulars. This is corroborated by experience, for the obedience and solandii ess of the body are

TIe character of the aerion i8 determined by the nature of

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laxation, the bl ood is reciprocatly expressed hom it, and attractedio it, With great sorce. Τhe form of the muscle, and the formof the action, depend conspicuousty on ali these circumstances. Τhe preci se nature hoWever of the severat moving fibres has notyet been investigated. But meanwhile that the action is alto-gether dependent oti the state of the muscle, is clearly SheWn in ParalySis, tetanus, Spa8ms, and convulsions; and by the divi- Sion, relaxation, te ing and obstruction os the fibre or the artery Supplying the muscle. Therelare the form of the actionis as the sorm Os the muscle.

The body is suid to die When it censes to aci; and the more persectly it acis, the more persectly it lives; there re When a member is deprived of iis action, it may be regarded as extinct. Τhe body including iis members is the ultimate form of the foui. The members are not ulive, unieS8 they live, that is, aut, at the bidding of their miud. They are but ultimate determinations, Whicli do nothing of themselves, but aut Dom a higherpOMer, Whicli determines them, and has life in it. Hence actionis the lise of the muscies. This is the reason Why death seiges the members, the limbs, and the muscles, in the first instance, and advances by degrees to the inner paris. For We cease toaut be re We cense to Will to aci, that is, to live.

illoret the animal virit, and wiliout fle blood, or mithout

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artery has a corresponding voin. Ηence it appears that muscleis constructed enthely Os arteries and vetus; Or contaius no prevalling element besides the artery and Vein, Or in Other Words, besides the blood and the animal spirit. When there- fore the artery Or nerve are injured, diVided, compreSSed, Orrelaxed, the action of the subject muscle is tost at Once in prOportion to the degree of the mischius. But Our theoretices examination os the fibres and vesseis, or of the animal spiriis and the blood, sheWs us also hOW these tWO elements respectively

blood rusties in, and recovers the artery. Hence the reciprocalaction, or the action and reaction of the muscies. The bloodis passive, and reagent against the spirit, Whicli is active. Thetissue of the motive fibre, hoWever, cannot be made clear tothe evidelice os reason Without a previOus citation Os experimental data.

and innumerable Farfistular On .

The actions os the animal body constitute an entire Series, order, and sorm. Τhey may be claSSed under Superior universia, and inferior universat, Or RS generat, Specisc, and individual. One is under another, and one is in another, just as is thecase With substances; ser action proceeds Dom substances as iis instrumental causes. The animation Os the cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla oblongata and spinal marroW, is the most universat sOurce of motion and action in the body, and the wholo nervous System, that is, the organic body, is inspired and vivis id with iis active spirit by this unimation. The systole and diastole of the hestri are a less universat fource, since the moti ve

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fibres of the hoari as Weli as Os the arteries and vetus are dependent upon the inspiration of the nervolas fibres. The respiration of the lungs is a fource stili loWer in potui os universali in and conspires both With the animation os the brains, and Withthe systole and diastole of the heart. The Other motions Ofthe bOdy, Or as We term them the speciat motions, may belikened to streams floWing Dom the above three SoureeS OPDuntesiis. They comprise the motions of the severat viscernand members. Every member has iis oWn proper motion and proper action; and this is true Whether We apply it to the stomach and the intestines, Or to the liver, pancreas, and Spleen, Or to the arms, Ioins, Det, singer8, or t0es; in Shori, RS Mesaid be re, it is the casu With ait the members in the body. There ure uiso particular motions in every viscus, motion 8 soriustance of the glanus, vesiclos and delicate muscies of Whichthe entire member Or viscus is composed. Τhese motions againinVolve motions more particular stili, as of the motive fibres in every the Smallest muscle, and in every gland; of the arterialand venous vesseis in these, of the nervous fibres in these, and

of the simple fibros in these; and so sortii. The bodily systemis perfeci in proportion as the singulis activities are persectly distinet, and yet conspire in finer harmony With the universat.

In the enunciation of the articulate found s Of the voice, the longue, Whicli is in ali respecis muscular, has to be soldedin disserent Ways, and the fauces also applied, While the chamber of the larynx is moulded after the nature of sound, and like-Wise the trachea. The lungs also Whicli supply the air, arerequired to accommodate themselves to ali the other paris. Τhus innumerable motive fibres necessarily conspire to the articulationos a single found. But tho action of the tungue dispers Domthat of the other members in no respecis but velocity and Volubility. The motions os one member may be extremely rapiti, those Os another StoW aud fluggisti. Τhis is shewn in birds

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and infecis, Whose Wings vibrate With such rapidi ty, that thealternating activity simulates continuous repose, and comes tothe ear as a murmuring soli11d. The speech of the longue comes 1 rom the fame sOurce as the other actions of the bOdy.

The nervous fibre exisis Dom the cortices gland, Which lalter theresore determinos it. On the other hand the motivo fibre of the muscle is the ultimate determination of the fame fibre, for the lalter terminates in it. Theresere the firsi and the last, or the tWO extremes, cannot but mutuatly correspond to enchother. Τhus the cortex of the cerebrum and cerebellum is the agent, and the fibre of the muscle is the patient, in other Words, is obliged to aci according to the force impressed by the efficient cause. Τhe motive fibre is the cause of action; the cortical gland is the principi e causing the fibre to act. Thus the wholeaction of the body comes sortii Dom the active force of the cortical cerebrum and cerebellum.

There is nos a corti es gland in the cerebrum but eorr pond*lo a particular molive sbre in the bo F.

A single medullary Or nervous fibre proceeds DOm every cortices gland, Whicli fibre is conveyed in to the body to tau ashare in some sensation, or in the producti On of some action; consequently is conveyed to iis correspondent motive fibre. Oneand the fame fibre cannot perform tWO ossices at iis eXtremities, cannot influence tWO motive fibres, sor an indistinct action Wouldbe the result. For this reason there is the fame luxuriant Supply os cortices glands in the cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla

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e an8sen or con8triction. Aluch the fame may be said of the artery, Whicli cannot actupon the blood, or throuo the blood upon the ultimate paris of the organigation, Without the active force of the hem namely, iis systole and diastole; for When the heari stops, thepulse and action of the blood cease. So also the cortical gland, Whicli is the smallest type of a beari, a true corculum; audWithout the expansion and constriction of Whicli, the animal Spirit could never be expelleri or excite the motive fibre tonet. Absolute repose in the principie must be sollowed by repose in the essect depending on the principie. But experience proves that the cortical glands respire and animate, and therebydrive the agent spirit into the extremes of the muscies. The cerebrum perpetuatly rises and subsides, or animates, Whichaction can only begin in the cortices glands, and not immediately in the vesseis and fibres. Τhis is apparent Dom the phe- nomena os apoplexy, epilepsy, catalepsy, and the severat dis-

enses affecting the brain. The moment the arteries, Or eVenthe Veius, of the brain are obstructed, and the cortical glandsare Dom any cause deprived of room for action, the action Of

The cortex of the cerebrum is so divided and subdivided as