New-York tribune., 1875-02-26
THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.

THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY.
"The Genesis of Superstitions," from the ad-
vance sheets of Mr. Herbert spencers Principles OF
Sociology" forms the opening article Of the present
number In a gulary vigorous and subtle analysis'
Mr. Spencer shows the elements OF truth In the concep
ons of the primitive acted upon by the influences
Of the surrounding world. The laws OF thought are
the same and admitting the data as known
TO him. the Inference drawn by the primitive man Is the
reasonable inference. In the absence OF those concep
tons Of physical causaton which have slowly arisen
from experience in the progress OF civilization there Is
nothing to prevent us from accepting his In.
terpretatons as truth. With the evidence OF
which alone he is in possession, MS De-
lief is Inevitable We must therefore hgure 10
ourselves the primitive system OF thought, before
we can fully understand primitive conduct nor can we
rightly conceive the primitive system OF thought De-
fore comparing the systems found in many societies,
and verifying our conclusions respecting its undeve-
oped FORM by observing its forms In the different stages
OF development "The Mental Aspects OF Ordinary
Disease" from paper by Dr. j. Miner Fotherg, opens
an interesting line Of discussion, tracing some OF the
supposed spiritual aspects Of sickness to conditions de-
pending on the of The body Thus. slight amount
OF bile in the blood, OF venal products, may
depress with hopeless despair or drive him into
naroxysms OF violent passion. When tho nutrition
of the brain is good, experience an agreeable
sense Of wellbeng, which shows itself distinctly
in afterdinner geniaty. When the nutrition Is
imperfect the consequences are mixture OF
irritability and bad temper blended with depression
There are two distinct physical conditions especially
under which the intellect seems to possess more than
normal power and briancy, namely the commencement
Of pulmonary consumption. and the state OF CHROME
gout 1t also been observed that the length or the
neck exercises influence on the mental activity OF
the individual Persons with short necks have better
sustained power Of work than those who have long
thn nroiy NuI
on short neck things being equal has an advan
ace over the brain fed by long carotid artery With
regard to comparative depression in abdominal dis
ease and affections OF the lungs, DR.. FOthergil re-
marks:
In diseases Of the lungs the condition Of depression is
rarely present and present possibly due TO
some abdominal complication; though, or course, some
of the existing depression may be fairly atrpnted 10
the anxiety naturally arising from intelligent com
prehension of the danger impending In tuDercuoss OF
the lung there is commonly such an altitude ~
the patient has earned for itself the desgnaon OF
spes phkSca Here the hOpeiuness as irrational as is
the depression OF some other affections Lne c9nsunp
tive patient Just dropping into the grave Will indulge IN
plans stretching far into the future, ignoring MS real
condition. and the impoSsbity of any such survival as
he is calculating upon 1t is q curious yet familiar
state Hope seems to rise above the intelligence Just
"a in certain abdominal diseases there is depression
which deties its corrections The intellect not equal
to finding the true bearings or OF correcting the exaea
tiOns stand wen-known differences OF the pulse In
chest diseases tae pulse ID usually fun sometimes
bounding; In abdominal diseases 1t is small and often
thready The pulse of pneumonia and the pulse of peri
tOnts are distinctly dssimar and contrast with each
other. Ii well known that there Id much
more tendency to collapse IN abdominal than
| in thoracic disease; taking the conditions OF the
pulse together with the emotional attitudes OF these az
fecuons, the synthess is that some eneGt
by the tubercuar disease Ia tae ungs upon
the emotional centers opposite TO the enect OF
abdominal disease are the varied effects upon the
Dulse and further that the result Is probably produced
through the circulation. The explanation which Is
snadowed really does not amount " moreis that
abdominal disease depletion OF the emotional
cenersof which depression 10 the outward Indication
while phthisis leads TO plethoric state associated
with exalted emotional conditions. In either tue
intellectual and yoltiona appear unequal TO
the task OF maintaining the balance which normally
exists AS matter OF fact there are certain mental
attitudes found diseases which are so regularly
present well marked and pronounced that they may
fairly included as part OF the rational symptoms
SO commonly is mental depression found along with
hillary disturbance that the name melanchOlla was
given TO these conditions OF mental gloom and modern
but establishing the proprety of the term
The articles on "English Observatories," by Z. NJ.
Converse, on 1.-THE Atmosphere In Relation to FogSig
naling" by Professor Tyndal and on Social EvoIu-
ton lin reply Spencer, by Professor Cairnes and
the Editors comments toe same, will be read with
interest.