COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



mals, and which probably consists in the iso- 

 meric transformation of colloidal clusters of 

 molecules distributed over the surface, must 

 gradually become concentrated in certain defi- 

 nite transit lines, just as the circulation of a nu- 

 tritive fluid becomes confined to certain chan- 

 nels : while the collision of waves which takes 

 place wherever two or more of these transit 

 fibres inosculate must result in such chemical 

 changes, and in the gradual formation of such 

 a structure, as characterize nerve centres. But 

 the exposition, when carried into details, is alto- 

 gether too abstruse to be profitably presented 

 here, nor is it necessary for our present purpose. 

 The explanation of the laws of association only 

 requires that, starting with some kind of ner- 

 vous system as already established, we should 

 examine the character of the nutritive changes 

 set up within it by environing agencies. 



The foregoing argument shows us that the 

 most prominent characteristic of such changes 

 is the formation of transit lines between neigh- 

 bouring cells ; and we have seen that the more 

 frequently a wave of molecular disturbance 

 passes along any such transit line, the more 

 easily will it pass, and the more difficult will 

 it be to divert it into any other transit line. 

 Hence in any complex aggregate of cells and 

 fibres, like the human brain, we may expect to 

 find a countless number of transit lines, of all 

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