New-York tribune., 1873-03-17
NERVE TELEGRAPHY.
LECTURE BY PROF. X. w. RAYMOND.
srvrN sRNsEs INSTEAD OF FIvE-POPULAR NO.
TIoNs DIsPELLRD-THE SUBJECTIVE AND
DIRECTIVE IN SENSATION.

inov lecture on Saturday evening" at Cooper
Union. on "The Seven Senses" 1t was, as OF the
prominent gentlemen present remarked, decidedly "a
lecture for thinking people " and although 1t seemed 10
be OF an entirely negative character and TO be aimed TO
dispe the preconceved notions regarding the sensa-
ons by which his hearers recognized the world around
them and to throw popular certanes into the region
OF doubt yet these theories so amusngly brushed
aside and newer so kindly interposed
where chaos was inevitable, that through the
long continuance OF the lecture an appreciatiye
audience laughed and applauded alternately. The lee
turer was INTRODUCED in BRIEF pleasant way by Mr.
Hewitt. who said that the Professor going to
acouaint them with two that they did not
know OF before Prof Raymond then came forward and
after few preparatory remarks In which he diselamed
the invention of any new senses, ana said ne snouu
attempt by open physical demonstration TO carry them
forward into those realms which had hitherto been
broken by the confused hosts OF phOsOphic dsputants,
he entered npon the real ground OF his lecture.
We must all recognize said he, whatever men
tal theories that the avenues Of commu-
nicaton with the exterior ana material word aud now
comes up the great conundrum: How many OF them
ara tberei" When voltaIre wrote his celebrated bur
esaue IN which inhabant of Saturn is represented as
coming to this world you will remember how the Saturn
ian was asked: GLOW many senses have you In SaturnP
he replied We have r. and we mourn every day OF our
lives that we have no more" Now will not be so bold
"a IN sav we have r. but is plain TO all who reflect
little that there are more than five We have tho
sepsaton OF lifting o heavy weight. What sense is II
that tells us tha 1t would be easy to prove 1t to you
II cared to lnger this part OF the discussion that
there must be muscular The seventh sense IS
called the associated sense and could give it almost as
many names AS there letters in the word for it Is
sense which grows Of the other which CORE
lates and. .co0rdinates their action.
THE NERVE APPARATUS.
First in regard sensation, know that the nerves
run over all parts the surface of the body to unite In
the spine or BRAIN great numbers of these
nerves. which represent as nearly as We can express it,
a sort OF lament Or let say, insulated electric
cable There are 80 many of them that lose sight OF
them in the nerve masses OF the spinal column. From
careful analysis is inferred that the brain is not the
only seat consciousness but one seat is IN the spine
itself have spoken Of the nerve flaments as il they
were teegraphc wires, because 1t Is more convenient
II used to be thought that force and electricity
were the same thing, but that idea has been exploded
We find, however, that these nerves are analogous
70 the telegraphc wires for the Transmission Of
currents of an unknown force. We found by experiment
that every nerve fiber is capable of transmitting the cur
rent IN every direction but the effect Of the current
seemed TO be dependent upon the apparatus of the eX
tremes. want TO call your attention to this principle
that the qualities OF sensation arc not the qualities OF
the object which produces the sensation. We speak
about resouuding string pipe when violin or organ
sound at ALL 1t vbrates but does not sound and that
vibration communicated to the brain through the ear
We found cut that there Is no transmission OF tno
mise of sound from the exterior world. aud 1t is
blessed thing that it is not for If all the jar were In
stantly transmitted would die Of the shock II Is
not to transmit the sound, but to hinder II
that the organ OF hearing Is placed as 1t
1t Is TO transform that rude motion or vibration
little by little into finer form. and to transmit
finally to the interior organ OF the bra In, where 1t Is
registered as mental state Of consciousness which we
call sound (Applausel You can understand from TINS
that the object Is not the quality OF sound We call
green leaves green My reflects certain rays whlch
have been reflected from these leaves Do perceive
them as light No the motion of the ether
for the retna of the eye sperecy transparent and the
old idea OF an image light formed the retna which
was then and there perceived is ono am astonished
psychologists believed so long. The light goes right
through and strikes upon black membrane which
absorbs it ALL and conveys it in some other form to the
brain. 1t is thus with the rays from the green leaf
SIGNALS OVER NERVE WIRES.
The lecturer here took rapid survey OF the seven
senses to show how each illustrated his suggestions
We ind the sense OF touch he sad all the surface
of the skin The whole outside OF our body is covered
with the ermini OF They up into the skin and
end with free ends investigation has proved There are
also corpusces OF touch and the action OF these nerves
is classhabe into two sensaonseontact or the sensa-
different kinds of pleasure or pam. so iar as We can
analyze them they simply differ IN duration and
Intensity OF the common feeling Now we hnd that we
can take a its course, cut 1t Ike telegraph
wire. and get sensations doing It win any od 1 5ne
when we do that never get anything but the
sensation of pain or pleasure The feeling nG,,sd Of
from the termini. The nerve which runs down
to the little finger runs aong t9era6y .. deep ,sp
elbow cold water you will feel sensation OF cold
1t cold right there But presently you viii feel an-
atiOu from
which. having been cut as you may say, telegrapns
pain The first sensation OF cold was correctly indicated,
but the second sensation OF pain on the other wlre was
incorrectly reported for It was read on the through
wire. For this reason, probably whoever loses an arm
which have been severed can report nothing
but the old signals to which they were accustomed al
deceived by the distinct signals which Will always
belong to distinct Nrt1an 0Sa,eS .n NOT PSSdi PSody
should have distinct nerves, but they close
together that when any impression is made upon any
portion of the body that portion will alone feel it, 1t
will always impress itself some point give the sig
nal and tell what it is II take pair Of compasses
you will find that In some parts OF the body as on the
but on other parts of the body you will only perceive
one sensatIo6 You begin by putting the points IN
and YOU will find that while first you only felt
sensation you suddenly feel two. Do you not know that
muketos bite will often try man to tell where the
CIRCLES OF SENSATION
The theory very simple and is theory Of circles OF
sensation. varying in size In different parts Of the body
continuity Of circles OF sensation makes sensation
continuous. The tongue is sensitive than the arm,
and the ann than other points Of the body. You know
how much bigger hole In the gums is to the tongue
than the finger. The Is that there arc more
feeling it. Our conceptions Of size are mainly
subjective.
Let pass very rapidly TO consider the sensation
OF smell NOthingca be smeled except It In gaseous
Those liquids which call odoriferous are only
because they are voatized. When you examine the
internal organs, you hnd the eilary eptheum, com
grain in harvest field They continue this motion
consciously even for some time after the individual is
dead 1t dies last of all How they bring about the