Zoonomia: Or the Laws of Organic Life (Language, Man, and Society) [Hardcover]

Erasmus Darwin (Author), John Addington Symonds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1988 | ISBN-10: 0404082157 | ISBN-13: 978-0404082154

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1803. Excerpt: ... SECT. XII. OF STIMULUS, SENSORIAL EXERTION, AND FIBROUS CONTRACTION. I. Of sibrous contraction. I. Two particles of a sibre cannot approach ivithout the intervention of something, as in magnetism, electricity, elasticity. Spirit of lise is not electric ether. GnlvanPs. experiments. 2. Contraction of a sibre. 3. Relaxation succeeds. 4. Successive contractions, ivith intervals, Quick pulse front debility, from paucity of blood. Weak contractions performed in less time, and ivith shorter intervals. 5. Last situation of the sibres continues after contraction. 6. Contraction greater than usual induces pleasure or pain. 7. Mobility of the sibres unisorm. Quantity offensorial power stuctuates. Constitutes excitability. II. Of sensorial exertion. 1. Animal motion includes stimulus, sensorial power, and contractilesibres. The senforial saculties acl separately or conjointly. Stimulus offour kinds. Strength and weakness desined. Sensorial power perpetually exhausted and renewed. Weahness from desect of stimulus. From desect of sensorial power, the direct and indirect debility of Dr. Brown. Why we become warm inBuxton bath after a time, and fee well after a time in a darkish room. Fibres may act violently, or with their whole force, and yet feebly. Great exertion in inflammation explained. Great muscular force of some insane people. 2. Occasional accumulation ofsensorial power in muscles subject to constantstimulus. In animals steeping in winter. In eggs, seeds, seirrhous tumours, tendons, bones. 3. Great exertion introduces pleasure or pain. Instammation. Liberation of the system between torpor and activity. Fever-sits. 4. Desire and aversion introduced. Excess of volition cures fevers. III. Of repeated stimulus. 1. A stimulus repeated too frequently loses efsect. ...

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Ams Pr Inc (June 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0404082157
• ISBN-13: 978-0404082154
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,735,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The wrong book, December 20, 2009

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Paul P. Christensen (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Zoonomia Or The Laws of Organic Life. (Illustrated Edition) (Paperback)

I would like to have known whether this book was volume 1 or II (It was v. II, on medicine, not the volume on the study of organic life and its great penultimate chapter on evolution. I would also have liked to known which edition it was based on. The book sent was the 1800 edition). All this is vital information. Cambridge University has published the a new edition of volume one based on the first (1794) edition. Volume II will not be of interest to anyone besides a medical historian.
Darwin's great study is a magnificent synthesis of enlightenment work of the nature of organic life and its evolution informed by the work of Linnaeus and his students, Huttonian geology, the chemistry of living processes based on discoveries of Priestley, and theories of conditioning and learning based on the work of Haller, etc. Chapter 39 is a must read for anyone interested in the history of evolutionary theory. Malthus drew on it for his proto-evolutionary theodicy and his idea of the 'struggle for existence' and Charles Darwin knew and was influenced by the work. He cites Malthus for the idea but he obviously knew it from his grandfather.