THE UNCONSCIOUS ACTION OF THE BRAIN. 549 



centre that issues the mandate, so to speak, through the motor nerves 

 to the muscles concerned in coughing, which actions have to be united 

 in a very remarkable manner, which I cannot stop to analyze ; but the 

 whole action of coughing has for its effect the driving out a violent 

 blast of air, which tends to expel the offending substance. Thus, when 

 any thing " goes the wrong way," as Ave term it a crumb of bread, or 

 a drop of water finding its way into the windpipe, then this sudden and 

 violent blast of air tends to expel it. 



Now, these are examples of what we call " reflex action ; " and this 

 is the character of most of the movements that are immediately con- 

 cerned with the maintenance of the vital functions. I might analyze 

 other cases. The act of 'breathing 'is a purely reflex action, and goes 

 on when we are perfectly unconscious of exerting any effort, and when 

 our attention is entirely given up to some act or thought ; and even 

 when asleep the act of breathing goes on with perfect regularity, and, 

 if it were to stop, of course the stoppage would have a fatal eflect upon 

 our lives. But most of these reflex actions are to a certain degree 

 placed under the control of our Will. If it were not for this controlling 

 power of will, I could not be addressing you at this moment. I am 

 able so to regulate my breath as to make it subservient to the act of 

 speech ; but that is the case only to a certain point. I could not go on 

 through a long sentence without taking my breath. I am obliged to 

 renew the breath frequently, in order to be able to sustain the circula- 

 tion and other functions of life. But still I have that degree of control 

 over the act of respiration, that I can regulate this drawing in and ex- 

 pulsion of the breath for the purposes of speech. This may give you 

 an idea of the way in which Mental operations may be independent of 

 the Will, and yet be under its direction. To this we shall presently 

 come. 



Now, those reflex actions of the spinal cord, which are immediately 

 and essentially necessary to the maintenance of our lives, take place 

 from the commencement without any training, without any education ; 

 they are what we call " instinctive actions ; " the tendency to them is 

 part of our nature ; it is born with us. But, on the other hand, there 

 are a great many actions which we learn, to which we are trained in 

 the process of bodily education, so to speak, and which, when we have 

 learned them, come to be performed as frequently, regularly, methodi- 

 cally, and unconsciously, as those of which I have spoken. This is the 

 case particularly with the act of walking. You all know with how 

 much difficulty a child is trained to that action. It has to be learned 

 by a long and painful experience, for the child usually gets a good 

 many tumbles in the course of that part of its education ; but, when 

 once acquired, it is as natural as the act of breathing, only it is more 

 directly under the control of the will; yet so completely automatic 

 does it become, that we frequently execute a long series of these move- 

 ments without any consciousness whatever. You start in the morning, 



