"Apply this spinal branch of phrenology to the Sperm Whale. His cranial cavity is continuous with the first neckvertebra; and in that vertebra the bottom of the spinal canal will measure ten inches across, being eight in height, and of a triangular figure with the base downwards. As it passes through the remaining vertebrae the canal tapers in size, but for a considerable distance remains of large capacity. Now, of course, this canal is filled with much the same strangely fibrous substance—the spinal cord—as the brain; and directly communicates with the brain. And what is still more, for many feet after emerging from the brain’s cavity, the spinal cord remains of an undecreasing girth, almost equal to that of the brain. Under all these circumstances, would it be unreasonable to survey and map out the whale’s spine phrenologically? For, viewed in this light, the wonderful comparative smallness of his brain proper is more than compensated by the wonderful comparative magnitude of his spinal cord."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (1851)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Spinal_cord
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Spinal cord
6 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Spinal cord →
Related Quotes
"One moment, if he asks for something to drink, give him this," said the house student, pointing to a large white jar.…"
"The distinguished scientist Herr Professor Luitpold Blumenduft tendered medical evidence to the effect that the insta…"
"The frog instantly dies when the spinal cord is pierced; and before this it lived without head, without heart or any …"
"The will, as the thing-in-itself, constitutes the inner, true, and indestructible nature of man; yet in itself it is …"
"The brain contains an exact configuration of about ten billion neurons, or cellular units, each of which makes hundre…"
"I came into this project with preconceptions like most people have, that this was a custom only done by the elite who…"
"For one of my pieces on camera, I balanced a pair of embroidered doll shoes in the palm of my hand, as I talked about…"
"Most people’s immediate reaction is how bad this custom was. I now see it as more of a means to an end. In their soci…"
"Strange to think it was an erotic thing. To us, the smell of rotting flesh would be unbearable. But back then men wro…"
"There's not a single other woman in Liuyicun who could fit their feet into my shoes. When my generation dies, people …"