DETERMINISM AND SELF-DIRECTION 55 



of the nervous system and the functions of the brain which 

 was destined to overthrow the entire fabric of his early- 

 determinism. His interest in these problems dated from 

 his student-days at Edinburgh ; and they had been dis- 

 cussed, though somewhat briefly, and on the lines then 

 usually accepted, in the first editions of his treatise on 

 " Human Physiology." But a marked advance was made in 

 the year 1846, by the publication of an article in the 

 British and Foreign Medical Reviczv, on Mr. Noble's work 

 on " The Brain and its Physiology." In this essay, Dr. 

 Carpenter discussed the true methods of investigation into 

 the physiology of the brain, with especial reference to 

 phrenology, whose supposed scientific foundations were 

 completely demolished. Pie then proceeded to extend the 

 idea of reflex action to the centres of sensation and idea- 

 tion, and, as a writer in the Times observed after his death, 

 "enunciated, with a completeness which has stood the test 

 " of time, the fundamental notions of ' consensual ' and ' ideo- 

 " motor ' action." * Mr. Noble was converted, and became 

 one of his critic's warmest friends. And Mr. J. S. Mill 

 wrote from the India House to express his admiration and 

 assent : — 



I should have been truly vexed not to have heard imme- 

 diately of such a valuable contribution to science as your paper, 

 I have read it once with great care, but I must read it a second 

 time before I can have completely incorporated it with my 

 system of thought. I have long thought that you were the 

 person who would set to rights the pretensions of present and 

 the possibilities of future phrenology ; but I did not venture to 

 hope that I should see, so soon, anything approaching in com- 

 pleteness and conclusiveness to this. 



The doctrine of the will remained in the background in 



this essay; but it quickly forced its way into Dr. Carpenter's 



* Dr. Carpenter's own summary of his conclusions at this period will be 

 found below, p. 159. 



