The Pedestrian's Record

the pedestrian's record. 7 to resort to for the removal of pain, and, if beyond his means of resort, other aid would be sought foreign to his person, or, in other words, his mental faculties would suggest the wisdom of seeking medical assist­ ance. The difference of responsibility between the sympathetic and locomotive system of nerves has long been understood by physiologists. Although the locomotive, when the mind is awake, can protect from injury the parts over which the sympathetic system holds sway, the sympathetic cannot assist the locomotive in its various actions. " If one member of the body suffers all members suffer with it," and this sensation is conveyed to all the various sections of the animal frame, through the medium of the nerves, which, in communicating with the brain, act as so many conductors of electricity. The brain is always on the alert to protect the body from evil, and it is curious to observe that when this protective organ is incapable of acting, or nurses a false impres­ sion, how speedily injury to somepart of the organism may occur. For instance, in walking downstairs, a man fancies he is on the landing, whilst only on the supermost stair; this false impression causes him to step firmly as if his foot were about to come in con­ tact with a level surface, instead of which the foot drops suddenly a few inches whilst falling on the landing, which sometimes causes fracture of bone or rupture of the tendo Achillis. Again a member of the body may be injured before the brain is enabled to exert its protective influence. A man stands with