92 FUNCTIONAL INERTIA 



As compared with pain, the functional inertia of 

 the tactile sensory apparatus is small. 



In agreement with these considerations is the 

 additional fact that the limen of the stimulus for 

 pain is higher than that for touch ; the touch-limen 

 is, according to the area stimulated, from J to T -J- (T 

 of that for pain. 



Surveying these and allied facts, Professor 

 Sherrington feels constrained to employ the term 

 " inertia " twice in two pages of his article on the 

 " Skin and Common Sensation." 



Thus we read,* " The inertia of the pain-apparatus 

 and the inertia of the organs for pain seems par- 

 ticularly great." 



I may perhaps say that I had not seen this 

 passage when my first paper was written (1899), 

 as vol. ii. of Professor Schafer's " Text-book of 

 Physiology, by British Authors," was not published 

 until 1900. 



Again Professor Sherrington writes : " The 

 physiological apparatus for cutaneous pain, takes, 

 as compared with other skin senses, a long time to 

 get into movement, and when once moved takes, 

 as compared with other apparatus, a long time to 

 return to equilibrium." Without using the terms 

 themselves one could not better express anabolic 

 and katabolic inertia respectively. 



In discussing the time-error in successive kin- 

 aesthetic judgments, the same author employs the 



* C. S. Sherrington in " Text-book of Physiology." Edited by 

 SchJifer, vol. ii. pp. 998-999. 



