COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



sensation of pain. Now, Weber's experiments 

 have shown that these differences in sensation 

 are not due to the excitation of distinct nerves, 

 but to the differently combined excitation of 

 the filaments of the same nerves. The differ- 

 ence between the sensation of contact and the 

 sensation of temperature depends upon the order 

 in which the filaments of a particular nerve are 

 set in vibration. And thus, as Fick observes, 

 we may understand why it is difficult to distin- 

 guish between a prick from a needle and a mi- 

 nute burn from a spark of fire ; for the nearer 

 we approach to a truly elementary sensation, the 

 more evanescent becomes the distinction be- 

 tween the compound sensation of temperature 

 and that of mechanical contact. On the con- 

 trary, when a larger area of skin is suddenly 

 rubbed or burned, so that enough nerves are 

 brought into play to compound the elements of 

 the sensations, then there is no difficulty in dis- 

 tinguishing the feeling of temperature from that 

 of mechanical contact. From these and many 

 other kindred facts, to which scanty justice is 

 done by this cursory allusion, M. Taine very 

 plausibly concludes that our ordinary tactile sen- 

 sations are made up of little component psychi- 

 cal affections differing only in number, order, 

 and duration ; while, according as these elemen- 

 tary psychical states are differently compounded, 

 they form conscious sensations which, as pre- 

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