Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1847-12-09

/
ing the parts Of our bodies with the power of
motion, and Of feeling or sensation, numerous
trunks are sent to all parts of the human frame
-ramifying over its structure TO such an incon.
touch any part Of our, body with even the point
Of needle wi,hou, being conscious OF pain,
proving lha, some par, of this great nervous
GENRE has been injured or excited into action.
The grea, nervous trunk which supplies the
lower extremity Of man is equal in thickness TO
his lille finger; divide il, and he loses all power
of moving his limb, all sense Of feeling: the limb,
10 all in,en,s and purposes, is dead; and, de-
prised Of its nervous Influence, n,ortifes This
pow sr Of endewing paris with, motion and SEN
saion- is situated i'm TWO distinct structures, OF
which the brain and spinal marrow are COM
posed; and auaiomis,s from their color, are ac-
cus,omed TO cali the ,ohite and the gray matter.
In the brain. lhe gray matter, for the mos, part.
is external. enclosing in lis folds the white mat.
ter; whilst in The spinal marrow tits internal,
being completely surrounded by the white
Now, as general rule, all The nervous trunks
Of The body and their branches, with the exceb-
lion OF nerves OF special sensation, are composed
Of 6bres derived from these Two sourees--lha,
is from The white and the gray matter ; and
these nervous trunks are conductors of that
change produced in the nervous centre by the
influence Of the mind. which gives rise either
10 motion or sensation. But most ex,raordin-
ary fact, ana one which is cepable Of being
proved by direct experiment, is, ,ha, the change
which takes place, to give rise 10 the phehom-
ena Of mo,icn. has its origin at the great nerv-
Gus centre, the source from whichthe trunks
arise; and further, ,ha, this change takes place
in The " hi,e matter On the other hand, the
change which give ffse to The phenomena Of
sensation takes place at The exnemilies Of the
nervous trunkss-,hai is, a, their ultimate dis
,rbuiion This change takes place in the gray
matter
j The ana,omist, in his dissec,ions, is able TO
prove satisfactorily the origin of these nervous
trunks; and he finds that all those arising from
the spinal marrow, and most Of those which are
said 10 arise from the brain, do SO by two roots
one of which is connected with the white mat
Ter, and the other with The gray. He can, and
has sill further proved by experiments per
formed on the living animal, that irritation by
. pnching or pricking Of the root which arise.
e from The white matter gives rise TO no sensa
non, as the animal shows no signs of suferin!
. whatever; but irrilate the root arising from ihs
:. gray matter, and evden, signs of suffering are
Immediately induced. Again: if in the deat
E animal we excite muscular contraction by means
! of gaIyanism we must send The charge OF elec
: lrciy through the limb by means Of the roo
arising from white matter, as no effect woult
be produced if we attempted to do irby means
Of The root arising from The gray. Allowing
: then, The fact, ,ha, these nervous trunks art
: composed Of two sets OF fbres, one conveyin!
sensitive, The other motor influence, lie, US ap
, ply ito practice. @
Some par, Of the body meets with an inJor.
Ia change is Immediately effected in the ex
,remi,ies Of The seniienl fbres, sensation is de
" veIoped, and The change thus induced is con
veyed by the cenlien, fibre to the brain, Ait
!. through lis medium to the mind. Through tn
!, mysterious agency of the mind, then, the motto
!. power Of The grea, nervous centre is brough
into action, and change is induced; this chang
). is conveyed by the trunks to, the muscles sup
plying The injured parts. or to other muscles, D.
whose combined action /, is removed from ur
! ,her injury. But il is moi nenessary that an IN
: jury should be in fic,ed ,ha. motor inauenc
!. should be generated, as the mind has the powe
b of inducing it a, will All The movements OF ou
- bode. are effected by muscular action. and 'hrt
: . lhe agency Of The will We move no, han
OF foot, nor look al an object, without the min
!. having frs, willed thai ii shall be done.
is Blu, there are many actions in the huma
% body which are reformed independently of III
" will, though evidently under the influence