52 DR. HILL, PROM REFLEX ACTION TO VOLITION. 



certain portions of the mind, or sonl, as lie calls it, suited to various 

 classes of knowledge. The passage I refer to is in the sixth book — 

 (Ethics vi, 2). 



" irpos 'yap to, rw <yei/ei erepa kcu jwv t>/9 

 Y^X'/ 9 fiopiwv, erepov riv <yevei to Trpo<s 

 eiccnepov 7re0y/co9, e'nrep Ka9' ofiotorr/ra Ttva 

 Kal oiKeioTrfja y *jvwai>s vTrapyei avTots. 



In other words ; that in reference to the objects of knowledge 

 which are generically different, there are portions of the mind, also 

 generically different, adapted to them. 



The Author. — I must apologize, Mr. President, for not having 

 begun at the commencement of this discussion to take notes of 

 the questions which were asked me, since I did not expect so great 

 a number. 



While in the first place I am very grateful for the expressions 

 of approbation which Sir Joseph Fayrer has bestowed upon the 

 paper, I must nevertheless respectfully decline his invitation to 

 follow up the question, from a philosophical standpoint, in a 

 second paper. In this paper I have endeavoured to be as modest 

 as possible, restricting my observations to those branches of the 

 subject in which I have, as I think, information to offer, in the 

 hope that it might serve the purpose of members of the Institute, 

 who are far more competent than myself to apply these data to 

 speculations of the kind which Sir Joseph Fayrer suggests. 



Major Freeman's reminiscences are very interesting as affording 

 a striking illustration of the fact that while the greater number 

 of actions are controlled by the will, actions may in certain cases 

 be purely reflex. The power of control is an ever-increasing 

 power, not only in the individual, but also in the race. Our 

 actions however are, as I think, at bottom reflex, although the 

 power of control is so greatly developed that we do not recognize 

 their reflex basis. Many of the things which we do in the day 

 appear to us to be pre-eminently voluntary actions, because we 

 do not recognize that we did the same things under the same 

 circumstances yesterday and the day before. We do not recognize 

 that some sound heard or sight seen is the suggestion which leads 

 to the liberation of nervous impulses which result in appropriate 

 speech or act. No one who has observed the habits of old persons 



