nerves. This failure casts further doubt upon the claim of Goldscheider as to pain nerves, the existence of which is already denied by other authoritative observers; for surely if the pain nerves are isolated, we should expect to find some evidence of these related pleasure nerves. Dr. Nichols attempts to overcome this objection by the somewhat summary process of referring almost all pleasures to the region of representation, which he considers may have a coincident of organic activity, although the original pleasure sensations and their organic basis be no longer traceable. I think there is little warrant for this supposition. Pleasures are just as clear, just as 'presentative,' to me as pains are, in reference to the vast majority of my sensuous activities; and, furthermore, there are grave objections to the treatment of pleasure-pain representations in the manner above referred to: of this I speak below more at length.
10. But the difficulty here presented becomes more marked when we consider the matter of brain locus. There is some ground for the notion that a locus has been found in the cortex for the pains of cutting-pricking-laceration, although this can scarcely be said to have been established.[1] On the other hand, there is not the faintest indication, to my knowledge, of the existence of a pleasure centre in the brain. This, again, evidently casts much doubt upon the claim that a pain centre has been discovered and seems to indicate that the centre, if its existence be verified, will probably be found to be the centre for the sensations involved in cutting and pricking, which, under the experimenter's methods, have been stimulated in painful phase. Surely, if Pleasure and Pain are Sensations, developed probably early, perhaps earlier than any others, in the history of our race, we ought to be able to identify in the cortex the centres of their coincident activities, as we have done those of many of the other senses, or else some adequate explanation should be forthcoming for their non-appearance.
- ↑ The evidence, indeed, is so contradictory that it has appeared quite possible to hold, as has been done by F. Courmont in his late work, Le Cervelet et ses Fonctions, that the cerebellum is the seat of all pleasure and pain activities, and those connected with the emotions.
