Excerpt from Inssanity: Its Dependence on Physical DiseaseThe connecting nervous threads which run from the peri pheral expansions of gray matter, constituting the sensory endowments of the skin, to the primary nuclei in the spinal cord, must in some manner be connected with the cortical layer in the cerebral lobes, otherwise it would be impossible for us to become conscious of the sensations which it is their function to convey. It is probable that this connec tion is made by secondary fibres, running from the spinal nuclei to the sensory-motor ganglia at the base of the brain, and that from these latter other fibres are developed which place the investing gray matter of the cerebral hemispheres in immediate communication with the corpora striata and the optic thalami. The fact that the primary fibre from the integument to the cord terminates in the gray matter of the latter, and that in the other steps of the series communi cation is established through the connection of these nerve centres, does not invalidate the statement that there is a direct connection between the periphery and the supreme centres, although it renders it doubtful if this communica tion is made by one uninterrupted nerve-thread.The statement in regard to the connection between the superficial gray matter of the cerebrum and the peripheral expansions of nervous tissue which endow the integument with common sensation and the sensibility to pain, is equally true in relation to the cerebral lobes and the motor nerves of muscles. An uninterrupted communication between the supreme centres and the contractile organs is necessary for the conscious performance of voluntary muscular acts. Yet this communication may be, and doubtless is, affected by the intervention of a number of secondary centres and fibres.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.