370 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



drew both arms down, and laid them close to the body, embedding the left 

 arm in the clothes and placing on it a pillow, by gentle pressure on which I 

 could keep the arm down without awakening him. Having done this, I 

 tickled his left nostril. He at once began to move the imprisoned arm, but 

 could not reach his face with it, because I held it firmly, though gently, down. 

 He now drew his head aside, and I continued tickling, whereupon he raised 

 the right hand, and with it rubbed the left nostril, an action he never per- 

 formed when the left hand was free. The simple and ingenious experiment 

 of Pfliiger establishes one important point, namely, that the so-called reflex 

 actions in sleep are not accompanied by sensation and volition. The sleep- 

 ing child behaves precisely as the waking child behaves, except that his 

 actions are less energetic; and we are forced to assume the presence of dim 

 cerebral consciousness to escape the conclusion that the spinal cord is also 

 a seat of consciousness. The actions of the sleeping and the waking child 

 are so similar that both must be credited with sensation and volition ; and if 

 not both, then neither must be so credited. In like manner I shall show that 

 the actions of animals, before and after decapitation, exhibit no more differ- 

 ence, as respects sensibility, than the actions of the waking and the sleeping 

 child ; so that here again, unless both actions are credited with sensation and 

 volition, neither of them can put in a claim. Experiment leads decisively 

 to this alternative, namely, either animals are unconscious machines, or 

 decapitated animals manifest sensibility and will. [Having detailed a series 

 of experiments with a water newt, to show that the animal's actions were 

 precisely the same before and after decapitation, and arguing that they dis- 

 played spontaneity of action] the paper proceeded: After allowing a 

 quarter of an hour to elapse, in order to a more complete reinstatement of 

 vigor, I touched the flank as before, with acetic acid. The movements at 

 first were very disorderly. It ran about in great uneasiness, just as it had 

 done before its head was off. In vain I waited for it to rub itself against the 

 side of the box; it curled itself up, and seemed about to die. Some time 

 afterwards I again touched it with the acid; it again became disorderly, and 

 I then pushed it towards the side of the box ; but it did not move until I 

 pushed it slowly forwards, so that its flank might come in contact with the 

 wood. This succeeded; this seemed to supply the very remedy it wanted; for 

 it continued crawling slowly, and with intervals of rest, its body curved out- 

 wards, so as to continue in contact with the wood, and its hind leg pressed 

 close to the tail, and thus, as before, it rubbed away the acid. There are 

 two points noticeable here: first, the readiness with which a sensation of 

 contact suggested a means of relief; secondly, that this was the only newt 

 which, in my experiments, ever hit upon this plan, and this one did so as 

 well without its head as with it. The repetition of the act precludes the 

 idea of its being an accident. It is unnecessary to trespass on your time by 

 citing the observations of numerous physiologists testifying to the sponta- 

 neity of decapitated animals. You will all remember such cases. I divided 

 the cord of a newt between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebras. The con- 

 vulsions which followed were almost as severe as those which follow decap- 

 itation; but in this case it was the fore legs which were tetanic, and the hind 

 legs pressed close to the body. After a few minutes, it tried to rise, but failed. 

 Bubbles of carbonic acid were constantly expired. After fifteen minutes, it 

 turned completely round, and crawled five steps forward, dragging the hin- 

 der segment after it like a log, the hinder legs not moving at all. This was 

 repeated several times. In fifteen minutes more, sensibility was detected in 



