ORDO I.
Increased Associate Motions.
GENUS [III].
Catenated with Voluntary Motions
SPECIES.
[1]. Deglutitio invita. When any one is told not to swallow his saliva, and that especially if his throat be a little sore, he finds a necessity of immediately swallowing it; and this the more certainly, the more he voluntarily endeavours not to do so.
In this case the voluntary power exerted by our attention to the pharinx renders it more sensible to irritation, and therefore occasions it to be more frequently induced to swallow the saliva. Here the irritation induces a volition to swallow it, which is more powerful than the desire not to swallow it. See XXIV. 1. 7. So in reverie, when the voluntary power was exerted on any of the senses, as of sight or taste, the objects of those senses became perceived; but not otherwise. Sect. XIX. 6. This is a troublesome symptom in some sore throats.
M. M. Mucilage, as sugar and gum arabic. Warm water held in the mouth frequently, as a fomentation to the inflamed throat.
[2]. Nictitatio invita. Involuntary winking with the eye-lids, and twitchings of the face, are originally induced by an endeavour to relieve some disagreeable sensations about inflamed eyes, as the dazzling of light; and afterwards these motions become catenated with other motions or sensations, so as not to be governed by the will. Here the irritation first produces a volition to wink, which by habit becomes stronger than the anti-volition not to wink.
This subject is rendered difficult from the common acceptation of the word, volition, including previous deliberation, as well as the voluntary exertion, which succeeds it. In the volitions here spoken of there is no time for deliberation or choice of objects, but the voluntary act immediately succeeds the sensation which excites it.