302 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Oct. 



shrink to their original size, and tlien wait another 

 twelve months before doing their destined work. 



If one can thus catcli a glimpse of some of tlie finer 

 processes taking place in gland action, how is it with ner- 

 vous action, the highest function of wliich living matter is 

 capable.^ While it has been known for a longtime that 

 the nervous system is the organ of thought and feeling 

 and the director and co-ordinator of the motions of the 

 body, and many speculations have been made concerning 

 the processes through which the nervous tissue passes 

 in performing its functions, it was left to an American 

 student, Dr. Hodge, to first successfully show that there 

 were visible changes through which the nervous system 

 passes in its work. The question is, can the activity of 

 the nervous system be traced as surely by changes oc- 

 curring in the living matter forming its basis as the 

 action of a gland can be seen by the study of the gland 

 cells ? 



The demonstration is simple now that the method has 

 been shown. No doubt every one has had the experience 

 of failing to perform some difficult muscular action at 

 one time and then at another of doing it with ease, or of 

 finding true the reverse of the adage ' practice makes 

 perfect.' For example, in a trial of skill, as in learning 

 to ride a bicycle, all the complicated action may be per- 

 formed with considerable ease and certainty when one is 

 fresh, but as the practice continues the results become pro- 

 gressively less and less successful till finally with increas- 

 ing weariness there is only failure and one must rest. 

 We say the muscles are tired; this is true in part, but of 

 much greater importance is the fatigue of the ner- 

 vous system, as this furnishes the impulses for the 

 action and co-ordination of the muscles. Now, as mus- 

 cular action can be seen and the amount can be care- 

 fully controlled, here was an exact indicator of the time 



