184 The Unity of the Organism 



parts. It is non-existent except through a particular form 

 of integration. 



Every specific act of every part of the nervous system 

 is primarily in the interest of some other part and function 

 of the organism than itself. 



This is particularly true for all adaptive acts of the 

 system. 



Considerations of this sort seem not only to justify, but 

 to render necessary some such view of purpose in the or- 

 ganism as the following: "The infinite fertility of the or- 

 ganism as a field for adapted reactions has become more 

 apparent. The purpose of a reflex seems as legitimate and 

 urgent an object for natural inquiry as the purpose of the 

 colouring of an insect or a blossom. And the importance to 

 physiology is, that the reflex reaction cannot be really in- 

 telligible to the physiologist until he knows its aim." 25 No 

 biologist whose mind is both open and reasonably pene- 

 trating will hesitate to accept these views as correct. 



What I wish to call particular attention to is that the 

 last sentence quoted calls for an additional clause: "the re- 

 flex reaction cannot be really intelligible to the physiologist 

 until he knows its aim," and he can know its aim only by 

 considering it in the light of the organism's entire complex 

 of normal activities; i.e., in accordance with the conception 

 of the organism as a whole. 



REFERENCE INDEX 



1. Sherrington 6 14. Sherrington 136 



2. Sherrington 12 15. Sherrington 205 



3. Sherrington 12 16. Cannon, W. B. ('16) . 35 



4. Sherrington 38 17. Cannon, W. B. ('16) 



5. Sherrington 8 18. Cannon, W. B. ('14) 



6. Donaldson 605 19. Cannon, W. B. ('16) 



7. Sherrington 16 20. Cannon, W. B. ('16) 



8. Sherrington 8 21. Cannon, W. B. ('16) 



9. Sherrington 116 22. Cannon, W. B. ('16) 



10. Sherrington 145 23. Cannon, W. B. ('16) 



11. Sherrington 146 24. Sherrington 114 



12. Sherrington 151 25. Sherrington 236 



13. Sherrington 136 



34 



262 



31 



34 



107 



108 



185 



