CoGiTic Evolution of Man 607 



We can now deal with another phase of human and general 

 animal history. If it be true that even the highest exhibitions 

 of mentality are due to a definite energy traversing a highly 

 complex energy-conductor and store-house, the process of 

 starvation and its attendant phenomena deserve study. Here, 

 the nutritive or biotic system being first checked in its food and 

 therefore in its energy supply, pain becomes felt in the stomach, 

 the digestive secretions and specially the saliva become thick 

 and scanty, increasing feeling of thirst next supervenes, then 

 pale facial emaciation. But meanwhile steady loss of fat con- 

 tent, next of blood, spleen, pancreatic, and intestinal content 

 proceed. All of these changes up to this point indicate funda- 

 mental disturbance and check of the biotic energizing flow. 



Then the eyes become unsettled, the gait becomes increas- 

 ingly a totter, the voice becomes faint, the hearing often im- 

 paired. All such represent a collapsing condition of the cog- 

 nitic substance. Next the mental sensibility becomes pain- 

 fully delicate, this is succeeded by advancing imbecility, and 

 often at length idiocy. By this time the body is in the last 

 stages of emaciation, and soon thereafter death ensues. 



In this case the remarkable and interesting circumstance is 

 that, up to a late stage, the biotic energizing currents are re- 

 cuperated from every bodily source, to minister to the cognitic 

 and the cogitic; next the biotic and cognitic centers exhaust 

 themselves in supporting the cogitic, that finally is depleted. 

 Then sudden collapse of all remaining biotically conducting 

 tissue accompanies death. But the post-mortem condition is 

 equally noteworthy, for decomposition rapidly sets in, due it is 

 considered to accumulation of effete material in the body tis- 

 sues. But it may well be suggested also that such rapid tissue 

 change is due to sudden breaking down, of all the complex 

 clu'omatin and neuratin constituents, through extensive with- 

 drawal from them of their stores of intra-molecular energy, in 

 the final effort to sustain life energy. 



Slight reference was made in Chapter IV to the action of 

 drugs. We believe that the view there and now set forth may 

 yet form a basis for a better understanding of them. Regard- 



