2766. The awaking takes place of itself through the origination of a new polarity in the brain during the afflux of arterial blood, whereupon the dreams follow which precede the act of waking. During sleep the plant continues to act, the unloaded cortical substance becomes again oxydized and charged; tension arises between it and the medulla, and with this come the dreams. This encephalic polarity is imparted to the sensitive and motor nerves, and the organs open. If external stimuli are superadded, all this happens somewhat earlier. The act of awaking is invariably, however, a restoration effected, or brought about, by the plant, and especially by the circulation.
2767. Man would therefore wake up had there also been no world of the senses; but then he would not continue awake, but at once relapse into slumber, and sleep the eternal death.
III. Functions of the Organs.
2768. The functions of the organs are the functions of the system associated or combined, just as the organs are but ultimate evolutions of the systems existing under similar relations. The organic functions are always therefore in a state of concatenation with other systems, and there can be no organ which acts in an isolated manner.
2769. By this character a new field for sympathy has been opened. All the organs operate through sympathy. Sympathy is therefore the result of parallel systems, or also of antagonisms between the factors of a single system. Taken in a strict sense, there are no vegetative organs. The organs are therefore limited to the encephalic animal, such as are those of motion and the senses, and to the sexual animal.
1. Functions of the Encephalic Animal.
2770. Just as the nerves have a function in themselves, and one directed towards the subordinate organs, so also has the motor system.
2771. The motor system is in the first place doomed to serve the whole body, since it flexes it, moves it forwards and backwards and upon all sides. It is related principally to the movements of the vertebral column, and serves in numberless animals to effect the act of crawling or creeping.
2772. Then again it will serve individual parts of the body, such as the belly in its evacuations, or the sexual animal in emitting urine, &c. It ministers unto the thorax in the act of respiration, which is a very complicated process. The thoracic muscles are to a certain degree co-ordinated with the constantly polar nervous system, and become thereby and in part involuntary. But one main reason of this appears to be the air that is constantly renewed in their cavity.