118 SUPPLEMENTAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



of registering the impressions made upon the organs 

 of vision. For allowing one dram of encephalon to 

 100 fibrils, the brain which is absolutely the least, 

 will have an overplus of two drams, while the larger 

 has only one. 



" That the eye which is supplied with a double 

 number of fibrils may be a more perfect organ of 

 sense will be readily admitted ; but that point is 

 not connected with the present question." 



It is clearly evident, we repeat, that no satis- 

 factory information has yet been afforded respect- 

 ing the diversities of intellect between man and 

 the brutes, by these ingenious and industrious re- 

 searches; and we greatly fear that the present 

 barrier of ignorance and indecision on the precise 

 nature of the connexion between brain and mind is 

 very likely to continue insurmountable. 



It is obvious that the position advanced by So- 

 emmering rests altogether on a mere assumption. 

 He supposes that a certain proportion of brain is 

 requisite to enable a certain portion of nerve to per- 

 form its office. Now this is very far indeed from 

 being self-evident, and we want the means of giving 

 it sufficient support. The comparison of the nerves 

 and brain, in a general point of view, is by no means 

 satisfactory. It would be necessary to ascertain 

 the relative proportions of the cerebrum, cerebellum, 

 and medulla oblongata. With the last, most of the 

 nerves are more intimately connected, and to ascer- 

 tain its relative magnitude in particular would be an 

 important point. Few of the nerves are connected 



