610 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE. 
would probably more than suffice for the destruction of the 
brain by lightning, or even by a rifle-bullet. Before the 
organ can arrange itself it may, therefore, be destroyed, 
and in such a case we may safely conclude that death is 
painless. 
The experiences of common life supply us with copious 
instances of the liberation of vast stores of muscular power 
by an infinitesimal "priming" of the muscles by the 
nerves. We all know the effect produced on a " nervous" 
organization by a slight sound which causes affright. An 
aerial wave, the energy of which would not reach a minute 
fraction of that necessary to raise the thousandth of a grain 
through the thousandth of an inch, can throw the whole 
human frame into a powerful mechanical spasm, followed 
by violent respiration and palpitation. The eye, of course, 
may be appealed to as well as the ear. Of this the lamented 
Lange gives the following vivid illustration: 
A merchant sits complacently in his easy-chair, not 
knowing whether smoking, sleeping, newspaper reading, 
or the digestion of food occupies the largest portion of his 
personality. A servant enters the room with the telegram 
bearing the words, "Antwerp, etc. . . . Jonas and Co. 
have failed." " Tell James to harness the horses! " The 
servant flies. Up starts the merchant, wide awake; 
makes a dozen paces through the room, descends to the 
counting-house, dictates letters, and forwards despatches. 
He jumps into his carriage, the horses snort, and their 
driver is immediately at the bank, on the Bourse, and 
among his commercial friends. Before an hour has elapsed 
he is again at home, where he throws himself once more 
into his easy-chair with a deep-drawn sigh, " Thank God 
I am protected against the worst, and now for further 
reflection." 
This complex mass of action, emotional, intellectual, 
and mechanical, is evoked by the impact upon the retina 
of the infinitesimal waves of light coming from a few 
pencil marks on a bit of paper. We have, as Lange 
says, terror, hope, sensation, calculation, possible ruin, 
and victory compressed into a moment. What caused 
the merchant to spring out of his chair? The contrac- 
tion of his muscles. What made his muscles contract? 
An impulse of the nerves, which lifted the proper latch, 
