248 DR. CARUS ON THE KINGDOMS OF NATURE, 



development of the organs of generation,) is united by means of the 

 stem to the root, which is held in connexion with the organism of the 

 earth. It is also remarkable, that in the foetus the direction of the de- 

 velopment from the insertion of the umbilical cord is upwards, as we 

 see in the plant that the flower is directed upwards from the insertion 

 of the stalk. For instance, the anthers are never turned back toward 

 the stem and the fruit-germ, or directed downwards, but on the con- 

 trary are invariably and wholly directed upwards, unless the flower- 

 stalk and fruit-germ are turned downwards, in Avliich case they also are 

 directed downwards with them. This explains the development of the 

 vertebral column into the head, in which the flower of the collected ani- 

 mal organization appears as completely as the flower of the egg does in 

 the entire foetus. This fact is still more clearly observable in the cen- 

 tral structure of the vertebral column, viz. the spinal marrow, the fibres 

 of which we see more perfectly developing themselves as they ascend 

 upwards, till they terminate in the perfect and noble formation of the 

 brain. 



This direction of development in the foetus, the truth of which is 

 most clearly established by many physiological as well as pathological ob- 

 servations, is also indicated by the position of the entire foetus, in which 

 we find the head usually turned downwards, but the lower extremity 

 turned toward the insertion of the umbilical cord ; in the same man- 

 ner as the flower of the plant, and the head of the more perfect animal, 

 rise upwards from the ground. Moreover, that the greater Aveight of 

 the head which occasions it to sink downwards in the uterus is not the 

 only use of that position of the foetus, is evident from the parturition 

 of the quadruped mammalia, since although their standing on four 

 feet must prevent the operation of such a cause, they nevertheless bring 

 forth their young with the head (nay even with the face) forwards. 



We can here give but general outlines of the further development 

 of the ditFerent systems and organs formed in the foetus; and with 

 respect to the systems belonging to the animal side of the animal 

 body, and which corresponds to the light side of the plant, we ob- 

 serve that from their constituting the parts originally turned toward 

 the outer world, they are endowed with a tendency to develop their 

 structure in a direction radiating outwards from an internal cen- 

 tre ; for which reason we see the nervous system form itself as the 

 radii of a central mass (the brain and the spinal marrow), which de- 

 velops itself with a perfection continually increasing in proportion as 

 the radiation outwards increases ; we see also the ends of the nerves 

 forming themselves either into the organs of sensation, or, as being de- 

 stined to re-act upon external objects, inserting themselves into the 

 molecular mass of the animal ; so that these molecules, disposed into 

 muscular fibres, are drawn, sometimes more and sometimes less 



