“ Man's survival does not hinge so greatly upon the perfection of his senses. ”
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes (1912). copy citation
| Author | Edgar Rice Burroughs |
|---|---|
| Source | Tarzan of the Apes |
| Topic | survival perfection |
| Date | 1912 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/78/78-h/78-h.htm |
Context
“But strongest of all is the scent, for Tarzan is pursuing up the wind, and his trained nostrils are as sensitive as a hound's.
There are those who believe that the lower orders are specially endowed by nature with better olfactory nerves than man, but it is merely a matter of development.
Man's survival does not hinge so greatly upon the perfection of his senses. His power to reason has relieved them of many of their duties, and so they have, to some extent, atrophied, as have the muscles which move the ears and scalp, merely from disuse.
The muscles are there, about the ears and beneath the scalp, and so are the nerves which transmit sensations to the brain, but they are under-developed because they are not needed.”
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