López-Muñoz F, Rubio G, Molina J D, Alamo C
Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Alcalá, Madrid, España.
Neurologia. 2012 Apr;27(3):161-8. doi: 10.1016/j.nrl.2011.04.018. Epub 2011 Jun 16.
The anatomic seat of the human soul has been a controversial matter of discussion in the philosophical, theological and scientific fields throughout history. One of more known hypotheses on this subject was proposed by Descartes, for whom the soul would host in the pineal gland, a brain body with a special location that would adequately address the functionalism of the human body.
In this work, we discuss the historical influences which made possible the Cartesian model of the relationship between spirit (res cogitans) and body-machine (res extensa) and the technical bases of his dualism doctrine. In philosophical terms, Descartes supported Augustine approaches and in physiological and anatomical terms adopted some theories of the classical Antiquity, essentially the proposals of Alexandrian pneumatic school (Herophilos, Erasistratus) in relation to the animal spirits. Descartes might also have known the hypotheses of some contemporary anatomists (Diemerbroeck) which established the location of sensorium commune in the pineal gland.
Although Cartesian theories had strong criticism even in his time, some aspects of these postulates remained up to mid 19th century.
人类灵魂的解剖学所在，一直是历史上哲学、神学和科学领域中颇具争议的讨论话题。关于这一主题，较为知名的假说之一是由笛卡尔提出的，在他看来，灵魂存在于松果体中，松果体是大脑中一个位置特殊的结构体，能够充分体现人体的机能主义。
在本文中，我们探讨了促成笛卡尔关于精神（思维之物）与身体机器（广延之物）关系模型的历史影响，以及他的二元论学说的技术基础。从哲学角度而言，笛卡尔支持奥古斯丁的观点；在生理学和解剖学方面，他采用了一些古代经典理论，主要是亚历山大里亚灵气学派（希罗菲卢斯、埃拉西斯特拉图斯）关于动物灵气的观点。笛卡尔或许也知晓一些当代解剖学家（迪默布罗克）的假说，这些假说认为共同感觉中枢位于松果体。
尽管笛卡尔的理论即便在他所处的时代也饱受批评，但这些假说的某些方面一直延续到了19世纪中叶。
