Dr. Bose showed not only that the nervous impulse in plant and in man is
exalted or inhibited under identical conditions but carried the
parallelism very far and pointed out the blighting effects on life of a
complete seclusion and protection from the world outside. "A plant
carefully protected under glass from outside shocks", says Sir Jagadis
"looks sleek and flourishing; but its higher nervous function is then
found to be atrophied. But when a succession of blows is rained on this
effete and bloated specimen, the shocks themselves create nervous
channels and arouse anew the deteriorated nature. And is it not shocks
of adversity, and not cotton-wool protection, that evolve true
manhood?"[25]