The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-16
MINDS COMPARED.
Dr. Sanford Speaks on the Animal and
Human Minds, illustrating by Con-
crete Example.

crete Example.
DR.. Sanford spoke on Comparison Of
animal and human minds" and sale
in part: Comparative psychology
makes psychology an historical study
as old as the study of the evolution OF
the body. We must not expect to find
in all animals the same sort of degree
of mental action. Mental activity is
aimed to adapt the species TO environ
ment
Today shall take the grounds of re-
semblance in mental activities, and of
interpreting in the simplest manner
The paramecium consists of a single
cell and with hairs or ella with which
the creature sWims. There is a groove
the oval groove running along one side
and ending at the creatures throat
What l shall say is taken largely from
an article by DIR. Jennings of Amherst
College. The creature is about loo
part of an inch long, slightly cigar
shaped. 1t ordinarily swims in the d.
rection of the blunt end. It's food is
the scum which rises to the top of the
water. This paramecium seems to ex-
ercise selection in feeding. They group
about food and when there is no food
present they group together.
They react to some chemical sub
stances. They gather at drop of acid
and react away from a drop of alkali
These creatures are of course very low
in the scale. They react from extremes
of heat and cold. DR.. Jennings says the
ordinary daily life of the paramecium
seems to be completely psychological.
1t would appear that they have sensa-
ton. that the choice of food implies in
telligence and memory. They seem to
have the emotion of fear in that they
flee from danger.
With regard to food taking, he finds
that there is really no selection. The
cillia which move in the oral groove
take in any Sort of food. 1t is found
that they do not gather about their food
only, but about anything which is put
In water. The creatures may find the
object in the water by accident They
move about all the time and may strike
1t. Another thing is that they are at
tracted by the carbonic acid collected
about the object. Their gathering into
groups is connected with the carbonic
acid given off by the creatures them
selves. All the activities that seem to
be involved is, first the rowing ten
dency; second, the cessation of the
movement of the ella when an OBJ
5ect is struck, and third, the attraction
to carbonic acid.
However, when the drop of acid is
put in the water the creature may Just
pass the drop and yet not stop there,
and if he gets into the drop, he keeps
in it from what seems to be a repellant
cause. When he comes in contact with
drop of alkali the ella are revers-
ed and he swims backwards. 1t doesn't
matter where he is struck, he draws
back and turns in one direction always.
Under all repelling circumstances he
behaves the same way. The reaction
is entirely mechanical
Similar activities are found in many
more microscopic animals, and DR..
Jennings believes that they do not re-
act in other than a mechanical way.
1t seems to me that it reacts in differ
ent ways for different stimuli, how
ever.
In the sense of consciousness as we
recognize it within ourselves, this crea-
ture has no consciousness. There
seems to be some reason for thinking
that there is some psychical func-
ton in this creature of which we know
nothing.
1t would be interesting to take crea-
lures higher up in the scale in which
there are more cells but no nervous
system.
Just word or two about the slug,
1t recognizes light and darkness. but
It does not seem to be able to see form.
They react to contact and seem to
have some distinction in smell and
taste. Slugs stop before reaching bad
tasting acid or odorous substances.
1t is long leap from the slug to the
bird. The chick has become to be al
most piece of apparatus in the psy-
chical as the frog is the pysiologi-
cal laboratory. 1t is with a view tc
instruct that the chick is chiefly studi.
ed. Chicks first are helpless and the
first thing noticed is a tendency to ap-
proach any warm object. When it is
only three or four hours old, it begins
to dress its wings and look for some,
thing to eat. BY the experiments it was
found to be probable that they possess.
ed an instructive perception of distance
and percision, though these are not al.
ways perfectly accurate.