Psychological literature: The nervous system. (1894). [Review of the books Die trophischen Eigenschaften der Nerven. & Die trophischen Eigenschaften der Nerven. J. Gaule & J. Gaule]. Psychological Review, 1(2), 184-187.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0064743
Reviews the books, Die trophischen Eigenschaften der Nerven by J. Gaule (1893); and Die trophischen Eigenschaften der Nerven by J. Gaule (1893). The background of organic processes of which our special sensations form the visible surface is of recognized psychological importance. From the physiological side this background may be considered as the total result of those activities of the nervous system which are called trophic, and hence an interest attaches for us to any advances in this field. The titles given above refer to a running account of the general conclusion at which Gaule has arrived after experimenting for several years. He establishes his theoretical standpoint by dividing the forces acting upon the living organism into two groups: the group which we commonly recognize, which directly affects the sense-organs and thus calls forth those responses in the muscles and glands whereby adaptation is accomplished. But besides this group of which we are conscious there are such forces as gravity, humidity, atmospheric pressure, electrical tension, etc., which are constantly present, which change slowly, but of which we have as a rule no direct consciousness. Nevertheless we must also adapt ourselves to this latter group, and the processes by which this is accomplished may be designated as the trophic functions of the nervous system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)