100 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. II. No. 30. 



our instinctive knowledge of equilibrium 

 and of a motion of the bodj' as a whole de- 

 pends on very complex sensory impressions. 

 One of these is very probably the pressure 

 due to inertia of the perilymph and en- 

 dolj'mph of the semi-circular canals, but it 

 is quite possible that the inertia and weight 

 of the soft parts of the head and body are 

 more important factors. Eotation of the 

 body would tend to cause congestion of the 

 brain cortex by centrifugal action, and the 

 resulting dizziness would be analagous to 

 that accompanying intoxication or fever. 

 The position of the bodj^ as a whole affects 

 not only the circulation of the blood, but 

 also the pressure of brain, viscera, etc., and 

 the alterations in the direction in which 

 gravity acts would cause important changes 

 in muscular tensions. Motion of the body as 

 a whole would cause pressure of the soft 

 parts of the body on those more hard, and 

 skin sensations (due to inertia of the body 

 as a whole) would occur at points where 

 the body touches other things. Sensations 

 from the soles of the feet are of great deli- 

 cacj^, being part of the reflex mechanism 

 which enables us to stand upright. 



CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 



Peofessoe Cope contributes to the July 

 number of The Monist an article in which 

 he formulates with great clearness the Pres- 

 ent Problems of Organic Evolution. He sums 

 up the positions of the Neo-Lamarckians 

 and ISTeo-Darwinians in the accompanying 

 table. It is of special interest to the pres- 

 ent writer owing to the definition of the 

 place of consciousness in the two theories, 

 thus calling attention to the relations of 

 modern psj'chological research and evolu- 

 tionary theories. The general result of psy- 

 chological investigation seems to increase 

 the difiiculties and decrease the need of as- 

 suming consciousness in causal interaction 

 with the physical world, whereas the biolo- 

 gist finding physical causes insufficient ad- 



1. Variations appear 

 ill definite directions. 



2. Variations are 

 caused by the interac- 

 tion of the organic be- 

 ing and its environ- 

 ment. 



3. Acquired varia- 

 tions may be inheri- 

 ted. 



4. Variations sur- 

 vive directly as they 

 are adapted to chang- 

 ing environments (nat- 

 ural selection). 



5. Movements of the 

 organism are caused or 

 directed by sensation 

 and other conscious 

 states. 



6. Habitual move- 

 ments are derived from 

 conscious exjierience. 



7. Tlie rational mind 

 is developed by experi- 

 ence, through memory 

 and classification. 



1. Variations are 

 promiscuous or multi- 

 farious. 



2. Variat ions are 

 ' congenital, ' or are 

 caused by mingling of 

 male and female germ- 

 plasmas. 



3. Acquired varia- 

 tions cannot be inheri- 

 ted. 



4. Variations sur- 

 vive directly as they 

 are adapted to chang- 

 ing environments ( nat- 

 ural selection). 



5. Movements of or- 

 ganism are not caused 

 by sensation or con- 

 scious states, but are 

 a sur'saval through nat- 

 ural selection from 

 multifarious m o v e - 

 ments. 



6. Habitual move- 

 ments are jjroduced by 

 natural selection. 



7. The rational mind 

 is developed through 

 natural selection from 

 multifarious mental ac- 

 tivities. 



duces consciousness as a vera causa in the 

 origin of species. J. McK. C. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



THE PAEALLAX OF ETA CASSlOPEIiE DEDUCED 



FROM THE EUTHEEFUED PHOTO- 



GEAPHIO MEASURES.* 



The new value of the parallax of this 

 well-known binary star is not without con- 

 siderable interest in view of the fact that it 

 depends upon several pairs of comparison 

 stars, thus eliminating largely, though, of 

 course, not entirelj', the disadvantages aris- 

 ing from the unknown parallaxes of the 

 stars of comparison; whereas, in the two 

 previous investigations by 0. Struve and 

 by Schweizer respectively, only one star 

 has been used, and that probably the same 

 star in both investigations, and one in such 



*Based on Contributions from the Observatory of 

 Columbia College, New York. No. 6. By Herman 

 S. Davis. 



