PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 



1840-1841. No. 18. 



Monday, 1th December 1840. 

 Sir T. M. BRISBANE, Bart. President, in the Chair. 



The following communications were read : — 

 1. On certain Physiological inferences which may be drawn 

 from the study of the Nerves of the Eyeball. By Dr 

 Alison. Part First. 



The principles which the study of the Nerves of Sensation and 

 of Voluntary Motion within the Orbit is thought to illustrate, 

 are : — 



1. The peculiarity of the muscles of the Eyeball, that they receive 

 few or no sensitive filaments, such as supply all other muscles of 

 the body, — coupled with the peculiarity of their office, that they 

 are designed, in the natural state, to be regulated, not by sensa- 

 tions excited in themselves by their action, but by sensations ex- 

 cited thereby in the Retina, — suggests an important reflection on 

 the use of sensitive nerves and of sensations in guiding and re- 

 gelating all voluntary and instinctive muscular motion ; the sen- 

 sations which result from the commencing action in every case 

 fixing the effort of the will on the right muscles, and regulating 



