New-York tribune., 1874-09-07

skillfuy the frog may be kept in state Of full bodily
ygor for months may be for years. but II VIII sit
for ever In the same spot. II sees nothng IL hearS
nothing 1t will starve sooner than feeditself athouRn
II food put into its mouth 1t nswalowsit On Irritation
II Jumps walks; II thrown into the water It swns
But the most remarkable thing that 1t does is thsyou
put 1t the fat of your hand 1t sits there crouched
perfectly quiet and would sit there for ever Then II you
incline your hand doing 1t very gently and slowly, 30
that the frog would naturally tend to slip on you feel
the creatures fore paws getting little slowly on 10 inc
edge OF your hand until he cau just hold himself there
that he does not fall then you turn your hand no
mounts up with great and deberaton, putting one
leg In front and then another until he balances himself
with perfect precision upon the edge OF your
hand; then II you turn your hand over he goes
through the opposite set OF operations until
he comes to sit In perfect security upon the
back Of your hand. IAppause] The doing OF al this
requires delicacy Of coordination, and an adustment
Of the muscular apparatus Of the body which is only
comparable to that Of ropedancer among ourselves;
In truth frog animal very poorly constructed for
ropedancing and the whole may give him rather
more credit than we should a human dancer These
movements are performed with the utmost steadi-
ness and precision, and you may vary the posi-
ton Of your hand, and the frog 30 long as
you are reasonably slow in your movements, VIII
work backward and forward like clock And what
is still more remarkable Is this that II you put him on
table, and put book between him and the light, and
give him little Jog behind, he will jump-take long
jump very possibly-but he won't jump against the
book he vii jump to the right or to the lett but ne VIII
get out of the way showing that although be Is abso-
uely nsensibe TO ordinary impressions OF light there
is still something which passes through the senscry
nerve upon the machinery and his nervous system
and causes 1t TO adapt itself to the proper action
A SOLDIER IN A CONDITION SIMILAR TO THE FROG.
need not say that since those days OF commencing
anatomical science when criminals were handed over
the doctors, cannot make experiments on human
beings, but sometimes they made for u.s. and made
in a very remarkable manner That operation called
is great series Of physiological experiments, and
sometimes 1t happens that these physiological expert
ments bear very remarkable fruit. French soldier,
q sergeant was wounded at the battle OF Bareilles.
The man was shot in wha. we call the left parietal
bone The bullet, presume, glanced off, but II
fractured the bone. He had enough vigor left to
send his bayonet through the Prussan who shot him.
Then he wandered a few hundred yards out OF the
village, where he was picked up and taken to the
hospital, where he remained some time. When he
came to himself as usual in such Of injury he
was parayzed the opposite side OF the body that
to say the right and the right leg completely
parayzed That state Of things lasted think, the bet
Of years. but or later he recovered
from it, and he is able to walk about with activity,
and only by careful measurement can any difference
between the two sides of his body be ascertaned AT
normal life. In his normal life he is perfectly WELL
cheerful and capital hospital attendant, does all his
work well. and is a respectable, well conducted man.
That normal life lasts for about and twenty days
OF thereabouts out Of every month; but for day or
two In each month-generally at intervals OF about
that tme-he passes into another life suddenly, and
without warning OF intimation. In this life he is still
active goes about just usual and Is to all appearance
inst the before goes to bed and undresses
himself gets up his cigarette and smokes It, and
eats and drinks. But in this condition he neither sees
nor hears, tastes, smells, nor is he con-
scious OF anything whatever, and has only one
sense organ In state Of activity-viz., that Of
touch, which is exceedingly delicate. II you put
an obstacle in his way he knocks against it, feels
it and goes to the side. II you push him in any
direction he goes straight on illustrating. well as he
cam the first law OF motion. You see have said he
makes his cigarettes but you may make his tobacco OF
shavings OF anything else you like, and still he will
90 on making his cigarettes as usual. His action Is
purely mechanical As said he feeds voracously but
whether yon give him aloes asaetida, the incest
thing possble-[laughterli is all the same to him.
HONEST AT ONE TINE, AND THIEF AT ANOTHER.
The man is in condition absolutely parallel to that OF
the frog and doubt when he is in this condition. the
functions Of his cerebral hemisphere at any rate
largely annihilated. He Is very neary-I don't say
wholly but very nearyin the condition Of an animal In
which the cerebral heinspheres not entirely extr
fully interesting for it bears on the phenomena OF
mesnerism of which good deal when was young
man. this state he capable OF performing all sorts Of
actions on nero suggestions-as, for example, he
dropped his cane and person him put it into his
hand and feeling OF the end Of the evidently
produced in him those molecular changes OF tho brain
which, had possessed consciousness would have given
rise to the idea Of his ride; for he threw himself
on his face began feeling about for his cartouche,
went through the motions OF touching his gun
and shouted out to an imaginary comrade, Here
they are a score of them but will give good
account Of them" This paper to which refer Is full
OF the most remarkable examples Of this kind. and
what is the most remarkable fact OF all this Is the modi
fcaons which this injury has made in the mans moral
nature In his normal life he is one of the most up
right and honest of In his abnormal state how
ever he is inveterate thief. He VIII steal every
thing he can lay his hands upon aughterl, and If he
cannot steal anything else, he will steal his own
things and hide them away. ILaughter] Now, II
Descartes had had this fact before him, need
tell YOU that his theory Of animal automatism
would have been enormously strengthened fApplause
He would have said Here, show you case of man
performing actions evidently more complicated and
mostly more rational than of the ordinary opera
ons Of animals and yet you have positive proof that
these actions are merely mechanical lApplause] What
them have you TO urge against my doctrine that the
whole animal world is in that condition, and
that-to uso the very correct words OF Father
Maebrance-" Thus In dogs cats, and other
animals there is neither intelligence nor
spiritual soul as we understand the matter commonly
they eat without pleasurethey cry without pain-they
grow without knowing It-they desire nothing, they
know nothing and IL they act with dexterty and In
manner which indicates intelligence, is because God,
having made them with the intention OF preserv-
ing them, he has constructed their bodies In
such a manner that they escape organically with
out knowing It, everything which could injure
them. and which they seemed to fear" tApplause.l
PARTIAL AGREEMENT WITH DEsCARTEss VIEW.
But must say for myself-looking at the matter on
the ground OF anaogy-takng into account that great
doctrine of continuity which orbds to suppose that