A treatise on madness / By William Battie.

  • Battie, William, 1704-1776.
Date:
1758
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: A treatise on madness / By William Battie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    f x 7 ] fefledly lyftematical, like die former icheme of animal Jpirits ,is neverthelefs extremely deluftve ; inafmuch as it feems indirectly to offer another folution of the phoenomenon in queftion, and to afcertain the canfe of Senfation. For lince the word weakn when joined with material fubftances, can convey no idea but a lax cohasfton of fuch particles as conftitute thole fubftances; therefore the phrafe weaknefs of nerves, which denotes a morbid excefs of Senfa tion, feems to imply that Senfation itfelf is ow ing to the loofe cohasiion of thofe material par ticles which conftitute the nervous fubftance, in afmuch as the quantity of every effed muft be proportionable to its caufe. By this inaccurate manner of talking, the moft diftinguilhing property of animal nature is in danger of being blended with inanimate mat ter. For, if the cafe really were what thefe words feem to import, all bodies whofe particles do not cohaere with too great a degree of proxi mity would be nervous, that is endued with Sen fation. But, fince no portion of matter, however loofely compaded, is nervous except it is part of an animal body, therefore the medullary fub ftance of a nerve is endued with Senfation not becaufe its conftituent particles are loofely united: D and