IV. On certain Physiological Inferences which may be drawn from the Study of the Nerves of the Eyeball

Abstract

It has been justly observed that the great discovery of the appropriation of the different portions of the Nervous System to the exercise of different functions, would never have been clearly established, but for the fortunate circumstance that, in certain parts of the body, especially on the face, the nerves of sense and of voluntary motion are distinct throughout their whole course. And this consideration may instruct us that, when we have an organ supplied with a variety of nerves, known to be of perfectly different endowments, the study of the peculiarities of these nerves may give us an insight into the purpose or use of some of those pieces of structure in all parts of the Nervous System, in which we must still admit that we see much contrivance, without understanding its intention.