296 A VERS. [Vol. VI. 



reception within the cochlea and its transmission to the brain 

 does it become transformed in a manner yet unknown to us, but 

 which we express roughly by the terms association and co-ordi- 

 nation, so as to produce something else than a mere propaga- 

 tion of auditory stimuli. When this stage is reached, we have, 

 instead of an analysis, a syntJiesis of stimuli. There is, then, in 

 the auditory processes never analysis, but always, as the final 

 resultant of the always sequential stimulation of the auditory 

 apparatus, a synthesis of auditory stimuli. 



It must be admitted on physical grounds alone that vibra- 

 tional impulses affecting the tympanum may, and under ordi- 

 nary conditions of the middle ear must, affect the membrana 

 fenestrae rotundae by transmission across the middle ear, by 

 means of the contained air, and that the impulses so produced 

 in the cochlear organ must either be propagated or destroyed. 

 In this connection I wish to make an addition to the previous 

 conceptions of the processes taking place in the cochlear tubes 

 while undulations are propagating themselves through the con- 

 tained liquid. It has not, so far as I have been able to discover 

 from the literature, ever been considered that the increase of 

 tension, which has been assumed for the cochlear liquid to take 

 place and to be transferred to successive parts of the liquid dur- 

 ing the passage of undulations, could be relieved in any other 

 way than by the bulging out {i.e. into the tympanic chamber) of 

 the membrane of the fenestra rotunda. The readiness with 

 which such increased tension could be relieved, through the 

 endolymphatic duct on the one hand, and by the propagation of 

 the undulations through the perilymph from the endolymph on 

 the other hand, has not been in the least recognized, so far as I 

 can learn. The pressure stress in the perilymph is, with the 

 greatest readiness, conducted out of the ear ; and since the 

 undulations of the air are so very slow, as compared to those of 

 the liquid (as i to 5), that they are readily and successively anni- 

 hilated before the succeeding stimuli are received, I do not 

 think any sufficient objection can be brought against the view 

 that auditory stimuli may be propagated through both of the 

 fenestrae simultaneously. // is most certainly trne that iinpnlses 

 gomg tJirough both openings siinnltaneously a7'e not 7iecessarily 

 antagonistic ; and it is also equally true that, owing to the 

 greater rapidity of transmission of the waves through solids 



