ANIMAL AUTOMATISM. 217 



tean doctrine that "the phenomenal universe is the crea- 

 tion of the Ego," expressed in other language. 



IV. The motion of the matter of a sensory nerve may be 

 transmitted through the brain to motor nerves, and 

 thereby give rise to contraction of the muscles to 

 which these motor nerves are distributed ; and this 

 reflection of motion from a sensory into a motor 

 nerve may take place without volition, or even con- 

 trary to it. 



In stating these important truths, Descartes defined 

 that which we now term "reflex action." Indeed he 

 almost uses the term itself, as he talks of the " animal 

 spirits " as " reflechis," * from the sensory into the motor 

 nerves. And that this use of the word " reflected " was 

 no mere accident, but that the importance and appro- 

 priateness of the idea it suggests was fully understood 

 by Descartes' contemporaries, is apparent from a passage 

 in Willis's well-known essay, " De Animd Brutorum," 

 published in 16T2, in which, in giving an account of 

 Descartes' views, he speaks of the animal spirits being 

 diverted into motor channels, "velut undulatione re- 

 flexl" f 



* " Passions de 1' Ame," Art. xxxvi. 



f " Quamcumque Bruti actionem, velut automati mechanic! motum arti- 

 ficialem, in eo consistere quod se primo sensibile aliquod spiritus animalcs 

 afficiens, eosque introrsum convertens, sensionem excitat, a qua mox iidem 

 spiritus, velut undulatione reflexa denuo retrorsum commoti atque pro con- 

 cinno ipsius fabricae organorum, et partium ordine, in certoa nervos muscu- 

 losque determinati, respectivos membrorum motus perficiunt." WILLIS: 

 " De Anima Brutorum," p. 6, ed. 1763. 



j 



