Quote of the day
Jan. 7th, 2010 09:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kestrellKes: The "homunculus" mentioned in the passage refers to a representation of the body imposed upon the brain which maps different sections of the brain to corresponding parts of the body.
From _The Body Has a Mind of Its Own_ (2007) by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee
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Many people seeing the sensory homunculus for the first time comment on (even object to) how small the genitals are. They expect that these organs would merit an allotment of territory commensurate with their sensitivity and the disproportionate mindshare they command. The confusion comes from the multiple meanings of the word "sensitive." Sensitive can refer to high acuity. Your fingers, lips, and tongue are sensitive in this sense: generously packed with somatic receptors of every type, able to make extremely fine discriminations. Your genitals are extremely sensitive in a different sense. A penis and a clitoris can tell the difference between one finger and two, but they can't read Braille.
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Perhaps not, but what a vivid picture that makes (although such a jmode of reading would take its toll on the books).
From _The Body Has a Mind of Its Own_ (2007) by Sandra Blakeslee and Matthew Blakeslee
block quote start
Many people seeing the sensory homunculus for the first time comment on (even object to) how small the genitals are. They expect that these organs would merit an allotment of territory commensurate with their sensitivity and the disproportionate mindshare they command. The confusion comes from the multiple meanings of the word "sensitive." Sensitive can refer to high acuity. Your fingers, lips, and tongue are sensitive in this sense: generously packed with somatic receptors of every type, able to make extremely fine discriminations. Your genitals are extremely sensitive in a different sense. A penis and a clitoris can tell the difference between one finger and two, but they can't read Braille.
block quote end
Perhaps not, but what a vivid picture that makes (although such a jmode of reading would take its toll on the books).
