Elements of Physiophilosophy

by Lorenz Oken

2068. The face must have been principally formed by the orifice of the intestine—the mouth, and by the opening of the lungs—the nose, and by the apex of the vascular system—the members which are repeated as jaws. The month is the stomach in the head, the nose the lung, the jaws the arms and feet.

2069. The salivary glands are the liver in the head, as the mouth is its stomach. The liver that was originally also symmetric in form has become wholly symmetric in the higher organized head and forms two glands. The salivary ducts are the hepatic or biliary ducts.

2070. The tongue is the pharynx elongated upon the anterior side, because in front there is more flesh. The tongue is the extremity of the intestine converted into muscle.

2071. The nose includes pectoral muscles, the mouth arthric muscles or those of the limbs.

2072. If pectoral and abdominal muscles are repeated in the face, so also must the anterior bones, ribs, and limbs be repeated. It will be shown, in treating of the organs, that the nose is a vertebra, the jaws members, and their muscles those of the limbs. The head is the whole trunk with all its systems. The brain is the spinal marrow, the skull the vertebral column, the mouth intestine and abdomen, the nose lung and thorax, the jaws are members.

Senses.

2073. The perfect animal again consists of two animals, the spiritual or solar, and the terrestrial or planetary. The animal nervous system does not continue to remain simply in the service of the other systems, but seeks also to gradually render itself self-substantial or independent. Now, the operation of the nervous system for itself is sensation. The parts of the nervous system having become self-substantial, will be therefore pure organs of sensation. Yet as the nervous system cannot emancipate itself from the other systems, so will its highest development be attained only in combination with the highest development of the other systems. There are therefore as many stages of the self-substantial nervous development, as there are special anatomical systems.

2074. Sensation must be modified according to the processes performed by those systems, with which the nervous system combines. These systems are, however specifically distinct from each other. Sensations that are specifically distinct are sensorial sensations. Organs of sense are accordingly the combination of the highest part of an anatomical system with the nervous system. Sensorial sensations are different processes of the anatomical systems perceived in the nervous system.

2075. The first combination of the nerves with the vascular system that has become free, or with the integument, is the sense of feeling—vascular sense. The intestinal system emancipated and combined with the nerves, is the tongue—gustatory sense—intestinal sense. The lung upon its highest evolution with the nervous system is the nose—olfactory sense—pulmonic sense. These are thus the sensorial organs of the vegetative systems—senses of vegetative life.

2076. There are indeed three animal senses; but as the osseous and muscular system form in their conjoined operation but one system or the motor system—there can be therefore only 2 animal senses. The osseo-muscular or motor sense is the ear. If the nervous system becomes wholly self-substantial, the nervous sense thus originates, or the eye, in which the brain itself has been planted outwardly, and acts independently of all other systems.