The Relations of Science and Religion: The Morse Lecture, 1880Calderwood, Henry
Religion
The Relations of Science and Religion: The Morse Lecture, 1880
Calderwood, Henry
Religion and science
The brain is made up of two entirely distinct substances. In the
interior of the organ, and altogether concealed from view when a drawing
of it is made, or the organ itself is exposed to observation, is _a
white mass_ consisting of a multitude of fibres. These are simply
crowds of nerve lines gathered together, led up from the extremities and
trunk, or provided for intercommunication with the several parts of this
central organ. Gathered all round about this, and constituting the
external mass, on the summit, sides, and base of the brain, is a
completely distinct substance known as _the grey matter_, folded up in
wavings, twistings, or convolutions, enclosing myriads of cells from
which nerve energy is discharged. These cells differ considerably in
form and size, suggesting the possibility of distinct functions being
assigned to cells of different structure, some being smaller and less
intimately connected with those around, others so much larger and more
important as to have suggested the name of pyramidal cells, and also
having lines of connection between themselves and other parts much more
numerous than in the case of the smaller cells. Every cell has a nucleus
or central point, which is the centre of vitality, while the fibres
which they send out, varying in number from one to four or five,
establish connection between cells, or pass into the nerves proper.
These cells are packed together in a soft glutinous substance, in the
outer layer of which they are fewer in number; approaching the interior,
they become more numerous; and they are both more abundant, larger in
size, and more distinguished by the number of their protoplasmic[CS]
fibres as they lie nearer to the mass of nerve fibres. In this crowd of
nerve cells are the stores of nerve energy supplied to the nerve system,
with every exercise of which molecular changes in the brain are believed
to take place. On this account there must be regular and ample supply of
nourishment for the brain, for which such provision has been made that,
according to Haller's computation, one fifth part of the whole blood
supply goes to the brain.
[Illustration: HUMAN BRAIN, WITH CENTRES OF ELECTRIC EXCITATION.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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