Phenomena of Memory. \ 79 



for life ! " The brain-pulp is in the main made up, not 

 only of water, but of water in motion : and if there 

 were no surer foundation than this for memory the only 

 result must be that which the poet Keats had in mind 

 when he chose for the epitaph on his tomb (close by the 

 pyramid of Caius Cestius at Rome) the words " whose 

 name was writ in water." No doubt these brain-cells 

 have some all-important office to discharge in relation 

 to memory and all other mental faculties : but it does 

 not follow that this is that which is taken for granted. 

 They may have to help in keeping up that electrical 

 state of the brain, and of the nervous system generally, 

 without which any bodily manifestation of mental 

 action would be impossible that the brain and the 

 rest of the nervous system is a wonderful telegraphic 

 apparatus by which different regions of the body are 

 put into communication. It may be that different parts 

 cf this apparatus are so set that certain parts of the 

 grey matter of the convolutions have to do specially 

 with particular movements, one part with speaking, 

 another part with handling, and so on. Or it may be 

 that they have work to do which has yet to be dis- 

 covered. But do what I may I cannot bring myself 

 to think that these perishable brain-cells have to serve 

 as a record office for memory, and that the work of 

 remembering is carried on within them. And certainly 

 this difficulty is not lessened when the facts to which 

 I have been directing attention are taken along with 

 those about which' I have next to speak facts among 

 which the first in rank, and the most significant, is the 

 identifying power of memory. 



The identifying power of memory is a fact upon the 

 reality of which no question can be raised. Without 

 this power there would be nothing but the consciousness 



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