New Theory of Nerves—Problems of Brain Action.

Progress, Volume I, Issue 7, 1 May 1906, Page 182

New Theory of Nerves — Problems of Brain Action.

A popular science journal remarks that the study of nerves, their connections and activities, has been begun in earnest only within the past few years, but what has been learned seems to lead to as many surprises as has any other branch of science. Only here and there is there now an investigator in this branch, but these have already found out that all nervous action is spent upon the muscles. That all are m one way or another connected with them, that each particular nerve cell has a specific function, and substitution seems no more possible among them than that the eye be substituted for hearing or for tasting. At present, work is being carried on to determine the functions of various parts of the brain, especially for the effects of use and disuse. What is the nature of exhaustion ? What is the rate of recuperation, the source of energy and of automatic activity, what happens m sleep, m the hypnotic state, m disease, insanity, and m unconsciousness ? All this will be enquired into. Dr. Hall has said that the nerves are the most wonderful things m the world, and we know so little about them — mmd and thinking, conditioned by their presence and activity, on the one hand, and all expressions of them through muscular action as exhibited by motions and emotions. There are many reasons for expecting most important disclosures from this direction, which may make needful many changes m common beliefs in educational theories and efforts, of responsibility in crime and the proper management of defectives of all sorts. It is not unlikely, as great changes took place during the last century m the beliefs on many important subjects that will be required for the work of the twentieth century.

M. Camille Flammanon, the eminent French astronomer, declares that the inhabitants of the planet Mars are much more highly developed than ourselves. " Naturally," he says, "it is impossible for us to imagine what forms living beings must take there ; but it is equally impossible for us to assert that the forces of Nature, which are there the same as here, and act under almost similar conditions (atmosphere, climate, seasons, aqueous vapour, and so on), have been rendered sterile by a perpetual miracle of annihilation, whereas on the earth the cup of life overflows everywhere, and the generating force of beings immensely surpasses their real and durable vitality. There are many advantages m favour of th" Martians. First of all, it would be difficult for a human species to be less intelligent than ours, seeing that we do not know how to control ourselves. The second reason is that progress is an absolute law which nothing can resist. The hypothesis that Mars is inhabited by an intellectual race much superior to our own is growing stronger every year in proportion as astronomical observations become more and more precise. The geography of our neighbour is better known than was that of the earth 300 years ago. The same can be said of its meteorology and its climatology. No one can tell for certain what the weather will be like on earth to-morrow. Well, we .know almost with certainty what the weather will be m such or such a country of Mars next week or next month Its atmosphere being constantly pure and transparent, all the geographical configurations of the planet pass with precision into the held of vision of the -telescope.