the late Professor Rudolphi. 237 



discovery of the different functions of the anterior and posterioi* 

 roots of the nerves of the spinal cord, was originally certainly the 

 idea of a mind of genius, which it was necessary should be 

 confirmed by the experiments of him and of others. Rudolphi, 

 however, did not remain altogether indifferent to the modern 

 development of the physiology of the nerves. At his sugges- 

 tion, and under his own eye, many experiments were made in 

 1823, in the veterinary school, with the view of examining Bell's 

 views regarding the nerviis facialis and trigeminus ; and al- 

 though at first he was doubtful of the different functions of the 

 roots of the nerves of the spinal marrow, probably because he 

 did not confide with any certainty in the existing physiology 

 of such questions of vital action, yet afterwards, when decidedly 

 confirmatory experiments were made known, he declared openly 

 in favour of the matter, and considered it as one of the greatest 

 advances in physiology. Rudolphi avoided a more philosophi- 

 cal division of the general relations of vital activity, which was 

 to him less safe than the criticism of facts, and he entered on 

 the province of the mind with caution, and chiefly only in such 

 a manner as that he speedily passed to a natural historical view 

 of the facts, where he was always successful. Among the more 

 general physiological writings, he marked out but few in which 

 he perceived consistent reasoning and acuteness ; and though 

 he acknowledged the imperfections of ReiPs treatise on vital 

 power, and his derivation of all the phenomena of life from 

 mixture and form, yet he nevertheless regarded that work as a 

 masterpiece, and always spoke of Reil with the highest re- 

 spect. 



Rudolphi was deeply grieved with the relation in which he 

 stood to Meckel. Each acknowledged fully the merits of the 

 otlier, and yet they could not get the better of mutual taunts; 

 and these, although they were regarded by no one but them- 

 selves, embittered the life of each. Rudolphi's straightforward, 

 though never severe, mode of expressing his opinion in his 

 writings produced much vexation to himself, and this would not 

 have been unexpected by him, had he known mankind more 

 accurately, and had he not adopted the mode of thinking of 

 any oth(?r but himself. Professor Link has finely remarked, 

 that our author was too guileless to make mankind the subject 



VOL. XXV. NO. L — OCTOBEU 1838. R 



