The Literal Meaning of Genesis (continued)
neck and the medulla of the spine, as I have already said.*° Thus, the face along with the rest of the body has the sense of touch, but the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste are found only in the face.
This, I believe, is why Scripture says that God breathed into man's face the breath of life when he was made a living being.*! Indeed, the front part of the brain is rightly considered more excellent than the back part: the former leads and the latter follows; and sensation is from the former, whereas motion is from the latter, just as planning precedes an action.
CHAPTER 18
The three parts of the brain connected with sensation, motion, and memory of motion.
24. Since there is no bodily motion following sensation without an interval of time, and since we cannot act spontaneously after a lapse of time except with the aid of memory, the medical writers point out that there are three ventricles in the brain. One of these, which is in the front near the face, is the one from which all sensation comes; the second, which is in the back of the brain near the neck, is the one from which all motion comes; the third, which is between the first two, is where the medical writers place the seat of memory. Since movement follows sensation, a man without this seat of memory would be unable to know what he ought to do if he should forget what he has done.
Now, the medical writers say that the existence of these ventricles has been proved by clear indications in cases in which these parts of the brain have been affected by some disease or pathological condition. For when sensation, motion, or memory of motion were impaired, there was a clear indication of the function of each ventricle, and by applying remedies to these different ventricles physicians determined which parts needed healing. The soul, however, acts on these parts of the brain as on its organs. It is not the same thing as they are, but it vivifies