i34 Dr. Spurzheim^s demonslraliiie Course of Lectures 



only a mode of action, as pleasure and pain are modes of feelingj 

 every faculty having a good or a bad mode ; hence he concludes 

 that the memory of words and philology in general originate in 

 the same faculty. If in a skull we find the sockets of the eyes 

 deep, it proves that the brain had not been large there ; on the 

 contrary, if the sockets be shallow, it indicates the greater develop- 

 ment, the brain having literally pushed the eve-balls forward. 

 Here Dr. S. took a masterly review of the question respecting the 

 influence of words on ideas. In France the opinion has re- 

 ceived academical rewards, that words give ideas, and that per-* 

 sons are incapable of thinking without words! But have ani- 

 mals a language ? The term idea is ambiguous, some taking it 

 according to its etymology, others metaphorically. Dr. IS calls 

 every conception of the knowing faculties an idea, and reflection 

 every function of those faculties which compares. Every faculty 

 exists by itself; we feel without knowing the name of the feel- 

 ing ; we perceive external objects without knowing that the 

 medium is light: therefore the idea exists without a word. Pro- 

 pensities and feelings exist without the knowledge of words ; 

 these only serve to communicate a knowledge of them to others* 

 Individuals communicate their feelings and sentiments to each 

 other ; one uses artificial, and another natural language. The 

 feeling of anger always shows itself, and is intelligible even in 

 man to animals ; it is the natural language, and is consequently 

 intelligible to every being capable of similar feeling A dog 

 knows when his master is angry, because he possesses the same 

 facidty : but he cannot understand the natural signs of adoration 

 to God ; yet dogs have sometimes known a few things in three 

 languages. This natural language is common to all animals j 

 the young cry, the mother hears it and gives them food ; this is 

 known bv the difference in the sound of the voice ; the tnale 

 calls the female ; hence animals have a natural language. Arti- 

 ficial language is peculiar to man ; he observes, compares, and 

 imitates ; animals cannot imitate their sensations or multiply 

 their enjoyments ; man only makes a language; the same fa- 

 culty enables him to produce fire, make clothes, &c. The voice 

 is tht; general means, the senses are only the media ; the dumb 

 use gestures, the deaf want only one sense. The organ of Ian* 

 guage therefore is the capacity to learn signs ; some cannot leant 

 languages 5 it is a partial idiotism ; others acquire only sufficient 

 knowledge of abstract signs to foim single words. Some hydro- 

 cephalic patients have the eves prominent, the same as if the 

 organ of language was higblv developed, and are nevertheless 

 destitute of memory. On the other hand, some persons have 

 been known to speak without a tongue. 



