Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-05-09

Oy It's Sneli) IOr d t1mes you arc moEV
" witnessing reflex action in lower
life. The sensation of touch has
been transmitted to the nervous
centers of the snail, and those
centers in their turn have issued
their commands to the muscles with
the result of producing the compulsory
retirement just named. It is with
this reflex action as though one out
side official (the sense organ) receiv-
ing a message. transmits 1t to head
quarters (the brain or nerve-center);
while the latter, dealing with the emer-
gency which has arisen, issues the
commands to other officials muscles,
for example), and these latter carry
out the movements necessary for the
welfare of the state. Even when the
'.mouth waters" at the sight of dain-
ties-a phase of life extremely we'll
seen in dogs who view from point Of
expectancy the dining arrangements
of their masters-it is reflex action
which is responsible for this piece of
physiological foolishness. The sensa-
ton of sight conveyed to the brain is
REFLECTED" to the salivary glands of
the mouth, and these discharge into
the mouth their special fluid, which,
of course. is of service in digestion.
1t is simply a matter of habit which
induces the flow of saliva when there
is nothing present to taste Or to di-
gest, and. so far, this action, like
many others of higher and lower life
alike, is of unconscious or automatic
kind.
Study this curious principle of nerv-
Gus action little more closely, and one
recognizes that it depends upon the
existence of a tolerably constant Sc
ries of parts. For example, there
must be an ingoing nerve to carry in
wards message or sensation from
the outside world. This is the ''sen-
sorry" nerve of science. Then, there
must exist a nerve.center, or receiving
Office. as we may term it, whereat the
is received and from which
it is reflected. or retransmitted, as we
have seen. Lastly, there is need Of
a second or outgoing nerve which
shall carry this reflected" message to
or other organs, as the case
may be. This latter nerve, because
the effect of its motion ia to produce
motion of one kind or another, is called
the "motor" nerve. These three
things are all that are necessary for. the
carrying out of our life's acts. Doubt
less there is much more that is complex
in the details of reflex action. but its
essentials are as simple as l have de-
scribed them. In this system of body
telegraphy we see countless messages
going in and out from nerve centers.
ruling and controlling all the affairs Of
our existence. The body, in this view
of matters, is very busy state, whose
officials are in perpetual and constant
communication with their heads of de-
partments,
Finally it must be borne in mind
that, while we are conscious of
much that we do, we are also
utterly unconscious of vast
number of our actions. When we
come to think of it, the fact of our re-
sembling Messrs. Maskolyne and
Cooks figures. in some respects, is a
tremendous advantage to us. We have
not to think about every act of life;
hence we are saved much intellectual
wear and tear. Reading and writing.
and piano playing, and walking and
many complex actions, may be and are
performed entirely without the neces-
sity for thought. Getting any thing
off by heart" as the schoolboy puts it,
is really converting something which
at first cost intellectual effort into
something which is purely automatic
in its nature; and the things which are
most machine-like in our actions are
just those which are most purely ere
flex" in their nature. The Indian
thief tickles the sleeping man with a
straw, and causes him, in his sleep, to
roll over on his pillow so that the
valuables beneath his head may be alb
stracted. This may be an illustration
of nefarious conduct; but it is, none
the less, an excellent example of reflex
action unconsciously performed when
human nature lies still in the silken
bonds of ''death's twin-brother, sleep"
illustrated London News.
~
ANCIENT FOOT.GEAR.
Whom Mon Wore Boots Weighing About
Ten Pounds Each.