AND LUNATIC ASYLUMS. 59 



from both these sources, most reflecting Physiologists regard the 

 doctrine as being demonstrated — that the Brain is the organic sys- 

 tem which the Mind thus uses as the instrument of its operations, 

 under all the forms of its being, feeling and acting ; and that, as 

 the Mind is a collective system of faculties, so the Brain is a collec- 

 tive system of organs whereof every one performs exclusively the 

 appropriate office of subserving one individual faculty solely as its 

 own peculiar instrumental agent. This is a fundamental distinc- 

 tion; and, although it ought always to be carefully, constantly and 

 prominently maintained in every discussion on the mental science, 

 yet there are writers who expose themselves to be charged with a 

 defect of precision, by their indiscriminate employment of the words 

 organ and faculty, as if they were convertible terms, and thereby 

 expose themselves to be charged still farther with the offence of 

 encouraging fictions, which tend to displace the immortal mind of 

 man from the high station which the Deity assigned to it in the 

 intelligent creation. 



Throughout his volume, Mr. Browne exerts unusual care to 

 preserve both precision and perspicuity in inculcating the important 

 doctrine — that every appearance of unsoundness in the mental fa- 

 culties, is a manifest symptom of disease in the brain ; and, as such 

 it ought ever to be considered as a principal object of treatment, in 

 cases of Insanity. He distinguishes the mental powers or innate 

 faculties of the Mind into four classes, — the mere animal impulses 

 or propensities ; the moral sentiments ; the perceptive powers ;* and 

 the reflective or rational powers. Now, to every faithful observer 

 of the human character, the fact must be apparent — that the mani- 

 festations of all these faculties are gradually developed and gradu- 

 ally decline; that they are weak in infancy, strong in maturity, and 

 again weak in old age ; and that their evolution and decay corres- 

 pond with successive changes in the structure of the brain. Far- 

 ther, as Mr. B. justly observes, it has been ascertained — that the 

 condition or intensity of these manifestations is influenced by the 

 state of the body from external or internal stimulation ; that in cer- 

 tain affections of the nervous system, their activity is impaired ; and 

 that, in certain cerebral diseases, they are altogether extinguished. 

 Lastly, it has been proved — that the integrity and vigour of these 

 manifestations depend upon the integrity and vigour of the brain ; 

 that, if this organ be prevented from attaining a certain size, the 



■ When tlie term Power la employed with reference to the Mind, it may 



bo considered as synonymous »itli Faculty > 



