Neural Integration 177 



even though when viewed one bj one or in secondary groups 

 they are antagonistic. 



Such a conception of the real nature of antagonistic re- 

 flexes is favored by the seemingly general fact tliat these 

 reflexes are seldom if ever really destructive of one aiiotlur, 

 since they do not act upon one another simidtaneouslif. 

 Their antagonism consists in a successional opposition to 

 one another. As they follow one another one acts in the 

 opposite direction to the other, and the antagonism is tlie 

 more real in that frequently tliey overlaj) to some extent. 

 But as already said this overlapping probably never amounts 

 to complete coincidence. Such overlappings and other 

 forms of partial opposition constitute the phenomena of in- 

 hibition which play a great role in the sum total of reflexes 

 of the organism. This is part of tlie method by whlcli 

 transition is accomplislicd from one reflex to anotlier, where 

 the same muscles, for example, execute both, l^iit tlie fac-t 

 that the transition is accomplished normally "without con- 

 fusion," to use Sherrington's phrase, shows the subordina- 

 tion of the inhibitions to the organism as a whole. 



Another important fact to which Sherrington calls at- 

 tention is that inhibitions which reflexes produce upon one 

 another never, so far as is known, result in injury to the 

 tissues involved. Genuine opposition of reflexes, as of any 

 other sorts of physical or chemical action, would, according 

 to all our conceptions of natural bodies, have deleterious 

 eff'ects on the opposing bodies. As a matter of fact, in- 

 hibiting reflexes not only do not injure the mechanisms in- 

 volved, but actually prepare them for greater fimetional 

 activity later on.^^ 



This beneficent efl'ect, as it might be called, of inhibition 

 is perhaps illustrated by certain forms of compensatory 

 reflexes. Thus, stinuilation of the central end of the nerve 

 to the extensor muscles of the dog's knee results in contrac- 

 tion of the flexors of the hip and knee. But on removal of 



