The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-14

| so on. Our memories of those days
may be perfectly correct, but they show
| US a feature of which we all ought tC
| De reminded. A visit to the old home
which left at nine years of age brought
] YlVldly to me that the Is years which
had passed had developed many things
in my mind. l saw how much shorter
the distances, how much smaller the
| church appeared than it was in my
mind
! Now, was my memory wrong? Yes
and no. 1t was wrong insomuch as il
had not that mathematical accuracy
| which we should like it to have. 1 re.
| member the number of steps, but the
| sizes were different. 1t is nothing alb
| solute, but relative.
1t is not unnatural that broader
| spheres in life lead to broadening out
| There are some who would believe that
| two and two made three if it did not
put them to disadvantage, and there
| are others who wish to investigate eV-
| erything Science tends to cast of
| the subjectivity.
| Everybody goes through a stage OF
myth in which everything is colored.
refer to the narrow traditions, to re-
| ligious beliefs, to sects, to popular forms
| of philosophy. They all wish to free
| the individual from certain subjective
| forms of error.
| Science has played and will play i'm
portant roles in life. Science, the criti-
cal use of the senses, has grown up only
for few centuries. Science tries to be-
| gin with the simplest elements OF
| things and in their relations to each
| other. Philosophy and religion deal
| with the ethical and the largest ideas
as starting points. In this course OF
| lectures we shall deal only with sci
| ence
| The ideal of the Phillistine is to dc
| Justice to the things as we'll as he hap
pens to know how. We want to dc
| justice to things as we are able to know
! them. We are under obligations to dc
the best we can. Just what our needs
are must be decided by the individual
| Each of you must decide if you have
needs in neurology.
In the sketch of what part the nerves
play in life, much may prove interest
ing. The lectures grew out of a need
| for a working hypothesis for abnorma
forms of life, Others may have other
needs. That of a working hypothesis
is shown by the greed with which many
embrace some forms of philosophy
How the most widely different concep-
tons are taken up by the educated anC
the uneducated. has always been the
greatest puzzle 10 me- At the same
time l am inclined to see in it a desire
for knowledge.
The chief aim for the majority is
that certain standard of morals be
reached. There is no doubt that there
are many individuals who prefer an
existence under dogma. The religious
independence brought as its burden a
protestant conscience. Most people are
hungry for some sort of mystery rather
than for science. We grow up under
parents and teachers who are without
science, and we do not have it incul-
Gated into us at an early age. TIC
many people science is destructive
Many turn from it, not realizing where
the fault lies.
1t is hard to see in which way a
course of neurology may become prac-
teal and beneficial. 1 go on the prin-
ciple that unto him that hath shall be
given, taking for granted that all have
isome backbone of habits of life, on the
Equality of which the usefulness of sci
entific knowledge will depend It is
: impossible in two weeks to cover thor
Eoughly the field. 1t will be my prin-
cipal object to give some facts of neu-
rology that you may see the biological
standpoint.
Biology may not appeal to all of you
! and many of the ideas put forth NAV
able to look upon the statements made
as if you were listening to a biography
see how somebody else tries to gel
even with facts. If 1 should appear
one-sided. you should remember that
psychology will put emphasis on the
} mental side, and that shall show mar
as a biological organism There was
never time in history when the body
was quite neglected, except in some
sects, Formerly the organ was merely
the animal part. Today we realize
that it is a fundamental part of oul
makeup. A sound mind in a SOUND
body is an old adage.
Man is now considered a part of the
biological world. There is a deep chasn
between life and chemistry and physics
The question was once formulated ir
my presence whether a cat made arti
|, ficially in exact image of a real cat
molecule for molecule, would not be :
real live cat? Sometimes physics ant
: chemistry seem to exhaust all the
phenomena of the living body, and We
there arise continual doubts.
: Bunge, the German physiologist. saiC
that life was more than mere physic.
! and chemistry Life comes only from
life. A plant presupposes another
plant. All the attempts to give physi
; cal explanations for vital function,
/ have been simple analogies. Bung,
mentions peculiar conditions in the ar
, celia, microscopic monocellular ami
, NAL, hemispherical in form and will
the lower side concave. In this concav,
: side is an opening, through which
pseudopodia are extended. If this ami
! NAL is placed on its back, so that /
cannot get a foothold with the pseudo
podiap bubbles Of gas form on one sid
, and it is able to turn over. This Ger
] tainly shows that even the simples
organism has a power Of adaptibilit,
such as no mere chemical substanc
f shows. A stone is passive; a living be
ing active.
! Bunge's idea is thatlife is an outgrowt
of conditions which physics and chem
istry can never explain wholly. w
are unable to trace to chemistry thos
things with which we are confronted
Chemistry is not far enough advance
to cover physical life.
Now let us return to the cats. TIL
second cat would be morphologicall
I land chemically cat, but what abou
the life? If the live cat should die
there would be a chemical change i'm
} piled The chemical substances Whic
, we can produce are dead substances
and cannot produce life. But the poin
at issue is that of organization.
living being is an organized being. !
5 would be more difficult to prove tina
> the artificial cat would not be alive tina,
] the contrary, There was a time whel
: magnetism, electricity, heat and ligh
were considered peculiar propertie
! like life. However all of these hav
been shown to be akin, under the ligh
of the laws Of indestructibility of mat
: ter and energy. - Energy is constants
! varying in relation, but is constant i
: quantity. This law introduces simple
! ity into the complication Of existence.
You NAV see a bar Of iron and he IN