246 On Cell Life. [April, 
tains to those subordinate nervous centres which lie scattered over 
the body, and are placed as guardians of the vegetative activity, 
such, for example, as the nervous gangha of the heart and intestinal 
canal, It is only occasionally, under very exceptional circumstances, 
that painful news reaches the higher regions from these quarters ; 
it is only in illness, or when an unusual storm of sensation is raging. 
such as fever, anxiety, and other passions, that any influence from 
above operates on the beating of the heart. It is worthy of notice 
that among the connecting threads which contribute to the weak 
dominion of the brain over the nervous centres of vegetative life, 
are particular cords which have the exclusive function of conveying 
counter-mandates against action. These-are the so-called nerves of 
interception. These are capable of conveying such an irritation as 
to bring the heart to a stand-still. 
Among the inferior nervous centres a division of the work into 
departments occurs, as has been shown by examples. One mass 
has to elaborate the sensations produced by light into vivid 
representations ; another has to connect these with the sensation 
of touch; again, another has to do with speech; others arrange 
the movements of the various extremities; others the throbbings 
of the heart, and so on. Nothing decidedly analogous to this 
takes place in the supreme governing body—the cell-mass of the 
great cerebral hemispheres. Here every cell can participate in 
every opportunity which is afforded for the activity of the general 
cerebrum. Each part of this organ, larger or smaller, can set the 
other parts into action, especially since there is a definite relation 
between one great half of the bram and the other. These are posi- 
tive facts which cannot be doubted. In fact, there are numerous 
pathological observations which show that though men have fre- 
quently, either by external injury or destructive disease, been 
robbed of the greater part of their cerebral hemispheres, yet it has 
never been remarked in such individuals that any mental power, 
such as speech or memory, according to the locality of the wound, 
had been lost. A man, with the greater part of his cerebrum 
destroyed, rejoices in the same clearness of consciousness and under- 
standing as before. These observations alone would be enough to 
upset the idle speculations of “ phrenologists,” were that consumma- 
tion not already attained by their unreasonable classification of the 
so-called ‘‘ mental properties.” * 
The facts in question enable us to add one more observation 
worthy of notice. They show that the acuteness of the understand- 
ing, and generally the quality of mental power, does not depend 
upon the quantity of brain, which, however, is a view widely 
accepted. Nevertheless, the energy and wnweariedness of mental 
activity seems to depend upon the mass of the brain. In our way 
* « Seelenverm6gen.” 
’ 
