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pendent life, which the animal at the first periods, of nutrition from 

 externals has begun to assume. This then is one illustration of out 

 argument: muscles of deglutition, &c. possessing their own proper- 

 ties in utero and at rest; a volition originates from the brain, the 

 assimilating life of the muscles in question receives properties by 

 communication; to trace this series 



12. The function of digestion, not manifested during foetal 

 development, is formed by the life which afterwards preserves it; 

 this being made up of properties settled by the relations between 

 spiritual properties, and their subsequent material of nutrition, in 

 the ovum, food enters the stomach by the preceding acts of degluti- 

 tion, &c. ; the properties of the stomach have a relation with food 

 and sustain corresponding change; properties of the stomach con- 

 nected and related with those of the brain ; change in the proper- 

 ties of the stomach, producing correspondent change in those of the 

 brain: the end of this relation is, that properties, quitting their 

 native sphere, pass and re-pass between the stomach and the brain, 

 producing their specific effects, that is, complying with the relations 

 of the properties engaged, and contribute to accomplish the pheno- 

 mena of digestion. Whether this is a true account of this particular 

 example, or a mere illustration of a mode, we shall hereafter 

 consider. 



13. To recur to the instance of change preceding communica- 

 tion before mentioned, which is exemplified in respiration. The 

 organs in the fcetal state, quiescent and independent ; their inde- 

 pendence first disturbed by a cause of change; that cause, the 

 admission of air into the lungs ; properties of the respiratory organs 

 affected in consequence, according to their relation with air, these 

 properties related with the brain or cervical medulla; properties 

 pass and re-pass from the organs of respiration to the brain, a per- 

 petual re-agency occurs, settled by predisposition, or the pre-existent 

 relations of properties; the end, the establishment of the function of 

 respiration. 



14. To anticipate a little our subject, we may borrow an illus- 

 tration still more conspicuous from the system of animal muscularity 

 which is subservient to loco-motion. The muscles of the leg (for 

 the sake of precision) have their assimilating life, which first formed 

 and is afterwards capable of preserving them; the nerves which 

 upply them are formed and preserved in the same manner; this is 

 their organic existence, and thus far they are independent of other 

 seats; but they have a function capable of originating loco-motion, 

 and for this they are dependent upon a nervous centre. But the 

 exercise of this function arises not from a natural communication 

 of properties from the nervous centre, but from a disturbance of 

 the natural disposition (meaning that disposition which occurs 

 during fcetal growth), from a change of the properties of the nervous 

 centre, which results from the influence of causes to which in its 

 new condition it is exposed. To exemplify still further the origin 

 of a relation by disturbance of the properties of a seat, 



