302 REPETITION AND IMITATION. SECT. XXfl. 4.$. 



produce a matter fimilar to that, which ftimulates 

 them ; in this circumftance refembling the venereal 

 matter in ulcers of the throat or fkin, according to 

 the curious difcovery of Mr. Hunter above related, 

 who found, by repeated inoculations, that it would 

 not infect. Hunter on Venereal Difeaie, Part vi. 

 eh. i. 



Another example of morbid imitation is in the 

 prodtt&ion of a great quantity of contagious matter, 

 as in the inoculated fmall-pox, from a fmall quan- 

 tity of ft infer ted into the arm, and probably diffufed 

 in the blood* Thefe particles of contagious matter 

 flimulate the extremities of the fine arteries, of the 

 fkin, and caufe them to imitate fome properties of 

 thofe particles of contagious matter, fo as to produce 

 a thousandfold of a fimilar material. See Section 

 XXXIII. 2. 6. Other inftances are mentioned in 

 the Section on Generation y which mew the probabi- 

 lity that the extremities of the feminal glands may 

 imitate certain ideas of the rnindy or actions of the 

 organs of fenfe, and thus occafion the male or fe- 

 male fex of the embryon. See Sect. XXXIX. 6. 



4. We come now to thofe imitations, which are 

 not attended with fenfation. Of thefe are all the ir- 

 ritative ideas already explained, as wheff the retina 

 of the eye imitates by its action or configuration the 

 tree or -the bjench, which I fliun in walking, pad 

 without attending to them. Other examples of thefe 

 irritative imitations are daily obfervable in common 

 life; thus one yawning perfon mall feta whole com- 

 pany a yawning ; and fome have acquired winking 

 of the eyes or impediments of fpeech by imitating 

 their companions without being confcious of it. 



5. Befides the three fpecies of imitations above 

 defcribed there may be fome aflbciate motions, which 

 may imitate each other in the kind as well as in the 

 quantity of their action ; but it is difficult to diftin- 



them from the alfoclatipas of motions treated 



