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OcTOBEB I, 1853.] THE LEADIB; 353 ¦ „; !...
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Critics are not th* * legislators, but f...
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Literature, though more inactive than us...
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Wo were thought somewhat irreverent in s...
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TOPE AND THE 18tii CKNTUltY. Tho Poetica...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Octobeb I, 1853.] The Leadib; 353 ¦ „; !...
OcTOBEB I , 1853 . ] THE LEADIB ; 353 ¦ „; ! ¦ ,, '¦ -- - ¦ l |» I i , _ _ . ¦ . 1 ¦ , nil- ' - ' ' II ¦ I II I ¦ -
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Critics Are Not Th* * Legislators, But F...
Critics are not th * * legislators , but fclie judges and police of literature . They do-not make laws—they interpret and try to eliforce them—Edinlurghllevieio .
Literature, Though More Inactive Than Us...
Literature , though more inactive than usual even at this " dull season , " has , nevertheless , some agreeable prospects . Meanwhile cholera forms the great topic of conversation , and almost rivals hotel charges in epistolary inspiration of the public press . Every one who has a remedy to propound , propounds it as a panacea . We may take occasion to give the simple rationale of one of those remedial means
almost universally prescribed , namely , warmth . It has long been known that sudden lowering of the temperature to a certain degree , causes death in all . mammalia . It is also known that in cases of poisoning there is a remarkahle lowering of the temperature . Connecting these facts with the known diminution , of temperature resulting from wounds , from diarrhoea , from cholera , & c , it occurred to the . celebrated physiologist , M . Brown Sequard , that diminution of temperature was in all these cases the proximate cause of death . He tested this hypothesis by experiment , and in the first vol .
of Les Memoires de la SociUe de Biologie , p . 102 , the reader will find a Communication he addressed to the society in July , 1849 . We give briefly his results . He found that a dose of poison , which would , under ordinary circumstances , destroy an animal , was ineffectual , if the animal ' s normal temperature could be maintained . Thus , a dose given to an animal , kept in an atmosphere of from eight to ten degrees centigrade ( 46 to 50 deg . Fahrenheit ) , destroyed it , in periods varying from 4 to 48 hours . But a similar dose , given to a similar animal , whose temperature was maintained by keeping it in an atmosphere of 28 to 30 deg . centigrade ( 82 to 86 Fahrenheit ) did not take effect . The animal survived .
Not only did diminution of temperature in these cases , appear the proximate cause of death , —temperature being the only condition which was varied in the experiments , —but M . Brown Sequard proved it in another way . It had repeatedly been shown , by Majendte ^ Breschet and others , that animals entirely covered with coatings of oil or varnish , which prevented transpiration , were invariably killed ^ poisoned , as it was supposed , by the substance eliminated from the blood , which could no longer pass away through the skin . Now M ^
Brown Sequard performed this experiment , varying the condition of temperature ; and he found that , when kept in an atmosphere of 82 deg . Fahrenheit , they invariably survived . These experiments demonstrate the fact , that the diminution of temperature resulting from poisons and many other disturbances of the system , is the proximate cause of death . The reader therefore will understand the indispensable necessity of attending to tho maintenance of temperature on the very first symptoms of cholera . Tho physician will tell him to do so ; wo have told him why .
Wo Were Thought Somewhat Irreverent In S...
Wo were thought somewhat irreverent in speaking recently of the British Association as a reunion for twaddle and gossip , redeemed from utter frivolity by streaks of seriousness . That a great doal of serious and very interesting discussion takes place , it wore idle to doubt ; but in the sections that we look to with most interest , wo are painfully struck with the poverty and laborious frivolity often displayed . In the last report , for instance , thero occurs this specimen : " On n . curious Exemplification of Instinct in Birds , " by tho Rev . F . F . Stathum . —Tho author commenced stating that his communication partook more of tho nature of an anecdote than of any elaborate disquisition , —but that ho
apprehended that a groat portion of tho science of Natural HiHtory consisted in the careful" collation of such anecdotes , with the inferences to which they naturally led . Ho made some references to tho theory of tho facial nngle , as indicitivo of tho amount of Bagacity obHorvablo in tho animal race—but expressed his conviction that this theory waft utterly at fault in tho caso of birds : many of those having a very acuto facial nnglo being considerably more intolligont than others having searcely any facial angle at all . Size also seemed to present another anomaly between tho two races of beasta and birds—for while tho elephant and tho horse were among tho most distinguished of qundrupedn for sagacity and
instinct , tho larger birds Boomed scarcely comparable to tho smaller ones In the possession of these attributes . Tho writer instanced this by comparing the ostrich and tho goose with tho wren , tho robin , tho canary , the pigeon , and tho crow ; and made some amuHing allusions to tho holding of parliaments or convocations by birds of the last species , while tho ostrich is characterized in Scripture as the type of folly . The author then procoeded to describe in detail tho particular case of instinct which formed tho burden of his paper . It roforred to tho poisoning of two young . blackbirds by tho parent birds when they found that they could neither Hborato them nor permauontly eharo their captivity . The two ilodgelinga lmd beon
taken from a blackbird ' s nest in the garden of S . Swonnell , Esq ., of Snrrey-square , London , and had been placed in a room overlooking the garden in a wicker cage ' For some time the old birds attended to their wants , visited them regularly , and fed them with appropriate food ; but at last , getting wearied of the task , or despairing of effecting their liberation , they appear to have poisoned them . They were both found suddenly dead one morning shortly after havin g been seen in good health : and on opening their bodies , a small leaf—supposed to be that of Solanum nigrum—was found in the stomach of each . The old birds immediately deserted the spot , as though aware of the nefarious deed befitting their name . " We are told that the reading of this paper "led to the notice of several instances of instinct amongst animals : " hut we are not told
that any one present rose up to protest , m the name of zoology and common sense , against so preposterous and far-fetched an explanation . The facts are , that the blackbirds fed their young , and that one morning these birds were found poisoned ; and upon such a slight basis as this , we are asked to believe—1 st , that the parent birds had such high republican sentiments , that they thought death preferable to imperfect liberty , and , Brutus like , destroyed their offspring for a principle ; 2 nd , that they knew the poisoning properties of the deadly nightshade ; and 3 rd , that aware of the imperfect republicanism of
" S . Swonnell , Esq ., of Surrey-square , London , " which would induce him to look upon such omithocide as criminal—or , to quote the reverend and learned reporter , " as though aware of the nefarious deed befitting their name , " —the old birds immediately deserted the spot Surely a simpler explanation would be , that they poisoned their fledgelings by mistake ; and their own disappearance would be caused by their having poisoned themselves at the same time % At any rate , the explanation offered , and tacitly accepted by men calling themselves men of science , is worthy of a passing comment .
Among the remarks which this anecdote drew forth , there is one so eminent in absurdity , that we paused in incredulity , and were slow to believe it possible that anyone could utter such remarks in such a place , and not be called to order : — " Dr . Redfera drew attention to the distinction to be mad © between instinct intelligence , and reason . Instinctive actions were dependent on the nerves , intell igence on the brain , but that which constituted the peculiar qualities of the mind of man had no material organ . "
This sentence is very remarkable . Instinctive actions being dependent on the nerves is a novelty as great in physiology as in psychology . And on what nerves does Dr . Redfkrn think instinct is dependent ? On the . solar plexus 1 on the pneumo-gastric 1 or tho glosso-pharygeal % Instinct dependent on the nerves ! What charming precision in a man who draws attention to the distinction between instinct , intelligence , and reason ! Not satisfied with this novelty tells that intelli
Dr . Redpern us gence is dependent on the brain ; but he makes a distinction between intelligence and mind , and te / ls us that the mind has no material organ , for which fact wo ought to bo grateful , it being so entirely novel . Many men beliovo that the mind uses tho brain as its organ , but wo do not remember even tho most mbid immatorialist maintaining that tho mind had no material or « -an . In short , when wo read such reports as theso , wo coaso to wonder at the low stato of biology in this country !
Tope And The 18tii Ckntulty. Tho Poetica...
TOPE AND THE 18 tii CKNTUltY . Tho Poetical Worlcs of Alexander Vopc . Edited b y Robort Carnitlmra . Illustra ! o « l by nor tMi ( H and original designs . In lour volumes . Vol . I . Ingrnni , Cook ,,, luld C ( > This promises to ho both a cheap and excellent edition of tho works of om groat Satirist . It is designed to occupy " a middle place hot woe u the expensive and elaborate editions of Warfcon , Bowles , and ltoscoe , and those ordinary reprints in which no attempt is made to illustrate tho text , and from which most of the author's owji notes are excluded . " Tho volume now published contains tho life of Popo , by tho editor , Mr . Robert Carruthors ; its careful compilation , impartiality , and literary merit , gives U 3 ovory hope of finding hi him an accomplished editor .
In reading over this Life wo are again , struck with tho painful picture Literature presented during tho wholoof tho 18 th century . With abundant cleverness , thero was an utter want of chivalry , a want of that delicacy of sentiment , earnestness of purpose , candour , and high nobility of tone , whic h if ) at any rate the ideal of our own period , as it notoriously was of tho 1 7 th century . When theso JUth century authors aro not distinctively blackguards , they aro painfully and dolibomtoly mean , spiteful , slanderous reckless , and nngcntlemanly . Tho way they lampoon oach other from reckless lovo of mischief , or from irritability oxn » ponited into malignity by the most trivial offences—tho dirt and personality in which they indulge tho cowardly frauds under which they ondoavour to shield themselves . their indelicacy , which ia not at all voluptuous , but purely indecent— -and the low
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 1, 1853, page 17, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01101853/page/17/
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