The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-07-06
Maine Medical Association.

The Medical Association held its twenty
fourth annual session in Portland on Tuesday
The day was devoted to routine business, and
the reading Of some interesting papers by mem
ber5. On Wednesday the session was very in
teresting. Reports of various committees were
made and acted upon. In the evening, DR..
Pendleton of Belfast, was introduced as the
orator of the occasion. The Argus says:
The Doctor announced his subject as ''In-
voluntary Action" The Grafton was a finish
ed and thoughtful production, expressed in
scholarly language, engaging the closest aten-
ton of every one present.
rhe subject Of his address was involuntary action
First alludng to obvious examples of this in the
physical system, then describing how these acts
which we call voluntary evade the consciousness he
passed to the consideration of two-old form of
mental activity. Excellent authorities and abund
ant facts given in support of the belief that the
mind acts unconsciously as well as lnvoluntarily;
that the consciousness does not hold at once within
its grasp all the activities of the mind though it
may reach them all sngly. Instances were given
OF the mind undergoing important notifications
without being itself conscious of the process. The
pranks which our wits play with when the
memory dresses up in the guiSe of the ina gnaton
to deceive the consciousness, spoken of as Il
real annoyance to authors, giving rise to serious
charges of plagiarism. The phenomena Of dreams
then introduced, many of their causes and bene-
fits; their prophetic nature, their habitualy appar-
ent reality: their bearings upon the argument of IA
spiritual communication being possible, etc,
planned. Somnambulism, mesmersm, ecstacy stigma
tism planchettc diving, were attributed to the
plete submission of the WILL and the absolute SWAY of
n dominant idea The history of witchcratt, epidemic
eusion, religious ecstacy, etc accounted for by
the will losing control through passion or emotion
Another field of involuntary action then taken
up, in which are more instructed as we are more
responsible, namely, those acts which ut first
conscious and Intentionally performed. but which
by habit become unconscious
The speaker claimed that the body might be train
ed under the will to so high 4 degree Of automatic
skill that it may be safely left to its own action
while the mind is free employ itself in ndepend
cnt activities. The lower faculties of the mind too
are capable of such degree of education that they
may go of themselves, while the will force, the most
expensive of all force, is saved for spent in
mastering new difficulties. This was abundantly
Illustrated The influence of habit self posses
sion, promptness of thought and decision of charac
ter then shown. The undue development of
habit in absent minded persons-its mistakes and
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS thought to occur in some de
gree in all''our tricks and our manners" though
now Involuntary record the character of our past
votions; habit as affecting our daily lives sue
in daily labor, illustrated. The necessity
of keeping all the actions under immediate control
Of the will, urged by some authors was not favor
ed or thought possible. If it were possible the eff
feet would be to keep one in a state of perpetual
babyhood. We should rather try to make each Volt
its act repeat itself The duty of educators in
placing children under favorable circumstances for
forming habits was urged, and the practice CON
demned of training the reason and Judgment before
they are fairly developed, and in the of those
who are to gain their future livelihood by mutual
labor leaving the eye and hand unskiled until the
bodily habits fixed. The subject of herediy was
then brought forward to show that spontaneous
action may be traced back to conscious efforts. |
Habit and hcredity were shown, in augumentng the
sphere of involuntary action, not to be limiting and
restrictive in their tendency, but to furnish con
dtion of the highest development.