HUMAN BODY, A COMPLEX MACHINE 31 



the brain and voluntary muscles are performed by 

 them, independently of the will. In other words : all 

 the organs of the body except the brain and the vol- 

 untary muscles appear to act automatically as an 

 automatic machine does. For example, the stomach, 

 heart, lungs, liver and kidneys appear to do their 

 work as automatic machines, independently of the 

 will; nor has man any direct control, nor power over 

 the work of any of his organs except that of the 

 brain and voluntary muscles. Thus, he cannot directly 

 compel his stomach to digest his food ; nor has he any 

 direct control over the action of his heart, nor over 

 that of his lungs ; nor can he directly compel his liver 

 to secrete bile. All he can do is to take medicine or 

 some other substance into his stomach, and thence into 

 his blood to stimulate, reduce, or modify the action 

 of his organs ; or change his environment. 



No male has any direct control nor any volun- 

 tary agency in the formation of spermatozoa in his 

 genital organs; nor has any female any control over, 

 nor any voluntary part in, the formation of eggs in 

 her ovaries. In fact fully ninety-nine per cent of man- 

 kind are wholly ignorant of the existence of specma- 

 tozoa and ova (eggs), having no knowledge, whatever, 

 of the mechanism by which their own offspring are 

 brought into being. 



What are we to infer from these facts? Can we 

 believe that the functions of the heart and other invol- 

 untary muscles do their work, automatically, without 

 the aid of any extraneous psychic force? Can we be- 

 lieve that the mysterious spermatozoon, and ovum are 

 produced in the genital organs of the male and female, 



