第2章

Thiswemustlikewiseassumetohappeninthecaseofqualitativechange;forthatpartwhich[forexample]hasbeenheatedbysomethinghot,heats[inturn]thepartnexttoit,andthispropagatestheaffectioncontinuouslyonwardsuntiltheprocesshascomeroundtoitsointoforigination.Thismustalsohappenintheorganwhereintheexerciseofsense—perceptiontakesplace,sincesense—perception,asrealizedinactualperceiving,isamodeofqualitativechange.Thisexplainswhytheaffectioncontinuesinthesensoryorgans,bothintheirdeeperandintheirmoresuperficialparts,notmerelywhiletheyareactuallyengagedinperceiving,butevenaftertheyhaveceasedtodoso.Thattheydothis,indeed,isobviousincaseswherewecontinueforsometimeengagedinaparticularformofperception,forthen,whenweshiftthesceneofourperceptiveactivity,thepreviousaffectionremains;forinstance,whenwehaveturnedourgazefromsunlightintodarkness.Fortheresultofthisisthatoneseesnothing,owingtotheexcitedbythelightstillsubsistinginoureyes.Also,whenwehavelookedsteadilyforalongwhileatonecolour,e.g.atwhiteorgreen,thattowhichwenexttransferourgazeappearstobeofthesamecolour.Againif,afterhavinglookedatthesunorsomeotherbrilliantobject,weclosetheeyes,then,ifwewatchcarefully,itappearsinarightlinewiththedirectionofvision(whateverthismaybe),atfirstinitsowncolour;thenitchangestocrimson,nexttopurple,untilitbecomesblackanddisappears.Andalsowhenpersonsturnawayfromlookingatobjectsinmotion,e.g.rivers,andespeciallythosewhichflowveryrapidly,theyfindthatthevisualstimulationsstillpresentthemselves,forthethingsreallyatrestarethenseenmoving:personsbecomeverydeafafterhearingloudnoises,andaftersmellingverystrongodourstheirpowerofsmellingisimpaired;

andsimilarlyinothercases.Thesephenomenamanifestlytakeplaceinthewayabovedescribed.

Thatthesensoryorgansareacutelysensitivetoevenaslightqualitativedifference[intheirobjects]isshownbywhathappensinthecaseofmirrors;asubjecttowhich,eventakingitindependently,onemightdevotecloseconsiderationandinquiry.Atthesametimeitbecomesplainfromthemthatastheeye[inseeing]

isaffected[bytheobjectseen],soalsoitproducesacertaineffectuponit.Ifawomanchancesduringhermenstrualperiodtolookintoahighlypolishedmirror,thesurfaceofitwillgrowcloudywithablood—colouredhaze.Itisveryhardtoremovethisstainfromanewmirror,buteasiertoremovefromanoldermirror.Aswehavesaidbefore,thecauseofthisliesinthefactthatintheactofsightthereoccursnotonlyapassioninthesenseorganactedonbythepolishedsurface,buttheorgan,asanagent,alsoproducesanaction,asispropertoabrilliantobject.Forsightisthepropertyofanorganpossessingbrillianceandcolour.Theeyes,therefore,havetheirproperactionashaveotherpartsofthebody.Becauseitisnaturaltotheeyetobefilledwithblood—vessels,awoman\'seyes,duringtheperiodofmenstrualfluxandinflammation,willundergoachange,althoughherhusbandwillnotnotethissincehisseedisofthesamenatureasthatofhiswife.Thesurroundingatmosphere,throughwhichoperatestheactionofsight,andwhichsurroundsthemirroralso,willundergoachangeofthesamesortthatoccurredshortlybeforeinthewoman\'seyes,andhencethesurfaceofthemirrorislikewiseaffected.Andasinthecaseofagarment,thecleaneritisthemorequicklyitissoiled,sothesameholdstrueinthecaseofthemirror.Foranythingthatiscleanwillshowquiteclearlyastainthatitchancestoreceive,andthecleanestobjectshowsupeventheslighteststain.Abronzemirror,becauseofitsshininess,isespeciallysensitivetoanysortofcontact(themovementofthesurroundingairactsuponitlikearubbingorpressingorwiping);onthataccount,therefore,whatiscleanwillshowupclearlytheslightesttouchonitssurface.Itishardtocleansesmudgesoffnewmirrorsbecausethestainpenetratesdeeplyandissuffusedtoallparts;itpenetratesdeeplybecausethemirrorisnotadensemedium,andissuffusedwidelybecauseofthesmoothnessoftheobject.Ontheotherhand,inthecaseofoldmirrors,stainsdonotremainbecausetheydonotpenetratedeeply,butonlysmudgethesurface.

Fromthisthereforeitisplainthatstimulatorymotionissetupevenbyslightdifferences,andthatsense—perceptionisquicktorespondtoit;andfurtherthattheorganwhichperceivescolourisnotonlyaffectedbyitsobject,butalsoreactsuponit.Furtherevidencetothesamepointisaffordedbywhattakesplaceinwines,andinthemanufactureofunguents.Forbothoil,whenprepared,andwinebecomerapidlyinfectedbytheodoursofthethingsnearthem;

theynotonlyacquiretheodoursofthethingsthrownintoormixedwiththem,butalsothoseofthethingswhichareplaced,orwhichgrow,nearthevesselscontainingthem.