Page:Mind (New Series) Volume 6.djvu/464

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

448 NOTES AND NEWS. of bringing out pain on other parts or spots of the skin, such as running needle-points into them, exciting them with hot and cold metal-points, induced currents, etc. I found the spots in most cases insensible to pain. This seems enough to prove their analgesia it cannot be necessary to de- mand analgesia for every spot when consideration is taken of the facility with which pain can be had from such large parts of the skin, or speaking with v. Frey, in view of how close to each other the so-called " pain-spots " lie. It would in fact be curious if, for instance, the same needle-point did not now and then bring forth sensations of cold (warmth) and of pain simultaneously. CONCLUSION. These investigations seem to show, amongst other things, that the cold-spots are not capable of giving any other sensations than cold, and the warm-spots no other than warmth, whatever known stimulus may be used. The results can therefore in every respect be said to cor- roborate " the law of the specific energies of the nerves ". Terms. Donaldson was the first to use the terms "cold-" and "hot- spots," which have ever since been employed. It seems, however, advisable to use the term " warm-spots instead of "hot-spots". The reason for this I will give in a following paper. REFERENCES TO LITERATURE. 1 Magnus Blix, Upsala Lakareforenings Forhandlingar 1883 ; Zeitschrift X Biologie, xx., p. 140, 1884. 2 H. H. Donaldson, " On the Temperature-sense," MIND, July, 1885. 3 A. Goldscheider, " Neue Thatsachen u'ber die Hautsinnesnerven," Du B. Eeyms., Arch. f. Phys., 1885, supplem. 4 A. Eulenburg, " Zur Methodik d. Sensibilitetsprufungen, etc.," Zeit- schr.furklin. Medic., p. 174, 1885. 5 M. Dessoir, "tjber den Hautsinn," Du B. Keyms., Arch. f. Phys., 1892. G Fr. Kiesow, " Untersuchungen iiber Temp, empfindungen," Philosoph. Mudien, 1895. 7 M. v. Frey, "Beitrage z. Sinnesphysiol. d. Haut," Berichte d. mat. phys. Classe d. K. Sachs. Ges. d. Wissensch. zu Leipzig, iii. Mittheil, p. 172. SYDNEY ALRUTZ. PSYCHOLOGICAL LABOEATORY AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON. A Laboratory for Experimental Psychology will be opened in University College, London, in October next. The Committee have secured a considerable part of the apparatus collected by Prof. Hugo Miinsterberg of Freiburg, who is about to migrate permanently to Harvard College. Among those who have contributed to the movement are Mr. F. Galton, Prof. Hy. Sidgwick, Mr. A. J. Balfour, Mr. R. B. Haldane, Sir John Lubbock, Mr. Shadworth H. Hodgson, and Dr. Savage. It is hoped that the name of George Croom Robertson may in some way be connected with the laboratory. It is further hoped that Dr. W. H. R. Rivers, whose work as a teacher in Cambridge and else- where is well known, will be able to start the work of the laboratory and superintend it during the October term.