本书为德国生理学家、心理学家威廉·冯特的代表作，以铁钦纳的英译本为底本，包括德文原版《生理心理学原理》**卷的“引论”和正文**部分“心理生活的人体基质”。本书主要探讨了以下六方面的问题：“心理功能的有机进化”、“神经系统的结构元素”、“神经物质的生理机制”、“**器官的形态学发育”、“神经传导通路的进程”、“**部分的生理功能”。可见，本书的绝大部分内容并非严格的心理学，而是和心理学家相关的实验方法和手段，如：精细和粗糙的解剖、神经组织的胚胎发育和生理机能、以及对这两者进行特定的和比较的研究等等。冯特在有限的篇幅中对以上这些主题做了一个整体的回顾，并区分了感觉和情感这两种基本类型的心理元素，通过自创的理论对“特定神经能量定律”进行了讨论。

导 读 — 001 — Author’s Preface to the First Edition — 003 — Author’s Preface to the Fifth Edition — 007 — Translator’s Preface — 010 — INTRODUCTION — 013 — §1. The Problem of Physiological Psychology — 013 — §2. Survey of the Subject — 031 — §3. Prepsychological Concepts — 039 — Part I The Bodily Substrate of the Mental Life — 056 — CHAPTER I The Organic Evolution of Mental Function — 056 — §1. The Criteria of Mind and the Range of the Mental Life — 056 — §2. The Differentiation of Mental Functions and of their Physical Substrate — 065 — CHAPTER II Structural Elements of the Nervous System — 074 — §1. Morphological Elements — 074 — (a) The Nerve-Cells — 075 — (b) The Nerve-Fibres — 081 — (c) Peripheral Nerve Terminations — 085 — (d) The Neurone Theory — 087 — §2. Chemical Constituents — 097 — CHAPTER III Physiological Mechanics of Nerve-Substance — 101 — §1. General Principles and Problems of a Mechanics of Innervation — 101 — (a) Methods of a Mechanics of Innervation — 101 — (b) The Principle of the Conservation of Work — 105 — (c) Application of the Principle of the Conservation of Work to the Vital Processes and the Nervous System — 114 — §2. The Course of the Processes of Stimulation in the Nerve-Fibre — 117 — (a) Course of the Muscular Contraction following Stimulation of the Motor Nerve — 117 — (b) Excitatory and Inhibitory Processes in Nerve-Stimulation — 121 — (c) After-effects of Stimulation: Practice and Fatigue — 129 — (d) Stimulation of Nerve by the Galvanic Current — 134 — §3. Theory of Nervous Excitation — 137 — §4. Influence of the Central Parts upon the Processes of Excitation — 145 — (a) Course of the Reflex Excitation — 145 — (b) Enhancement of Reflex Excitability — 149 — (c) Inhibitions of Reflexes by Interference of Stimuli — 153 — (d) Chronic Effects of Excitation and Inhibition: Positive and Negative Tonus — 156 — §5. Theory of Central Innervation — 158 — (a) General Theory of the Molecular Processes in the Nerve-Cell — 158 — 004 (b) Relation of Nervous to Psychical Processes — 168 — CHAPTER IV Morphological Development of the Central Organs — 172 — §1. General Survey — 172 — (a) Object of the Following Exposition — 172 — (b) The Neural Tube and the Three Main Divisions of the Brain — 175 — (c) The Brain Ventricles and the Differentiation of the Parts of the Brain — 179 — §2. The Myel in the Higher Vertebrates — 187 — §3. The Oblongata — 193 — §4. The Cerebellum — 197 — §5. The Mesencephalon — 200 — §6. The Diencephalon — 203 — §7. The Prosencephalon — 205 — (a) The Brain Cavities and the Surrounding Parts — 205 — (b) Fornix and Commissural System — 214 — 005 (c) The Development of the Outward Conformation of the Brain — 222 — CHAPTER V Course of the Paths of Nervous Conduction — 242 — §1. General Conditions of Conduction — 242 — §2. Methods of Investigating the Conduction-Paths — 245 — §3. Conduction in the Nerves and in the Myel — 251 — (a) Origin and Distribution of the Nerves — 251 — (b) Physiology of the Conduction-Paths of the Myel — 256 — (c) Anatomical Results — 262 — §4. Paths of Conduction in Oblongata and Cerebellum — 267 — (a) General Characteristics of these Paths — 267 — (b) Continuations of the Motor and Sensory Paths — 269 — (c) The Regions of Origin of the Cranial Nerves and the Nidi of Cinerea in the Oblongata — 272 — (d) Paths of Conduction in Pons and Cerebellum — 275 — 5. Cerebral Ganglia and Conduction Paths of the Higher Sensory Nerves — 283 — 006 (a) The Cerebral Ganglia — 283 — (b) Conduction Paths of the Nerves of Taste and Smell — 285 — (c) Conduction Paths of the Acoustic Nerve — 290 — (d) Conduction Paths of the Optic Nerve — 294 — 6. Paths of Motor and Sensory Conduction to the Cerebral Cortex — 301 — (a) General Methods for the Demonstration of the Cortical Centres — 301 — (b) Motor and Sensory Cortical Centres in the Brain of the Dog — 306 — (c) Motor and Sensory Cortical Areas in the Monkey — 313 — (d) Motor and Sensory Cortical Centres in Man — 323 — §7. Association Systems of the Cerebral Cortex — 337 — §8. Structure of the Cerebral Cortex — 345 — §9. General Principles of the Processes of Central Conduction — 354 — (a) The Principle of Manifold Representation — 354 — (b) Principle of the Ascending Complication of Conduction Paths — 356 (c) The Principle of the Differentiation of Directions of Conduction — 358 — (d) The Principle of the Central Colligation of Remote Functional Areas. Theory of Decussations — 360 — CHAPTER VI The Physiological Function of the Central Parts — 378 — §1. Methods of Functional Analysis — 378 — §2. Reflex Functions — 380 — (a) Spinal Reflexes — 380 — (b) Metencephalic (Oblongata) and Mesencephalic Reflexes — 383 — (c) Purposiveness of the Reflexes. Extent of Reflex Phenomena — 392 — §3. Automatic Excitations — 396 — (a) Automatic Excitations in Myel and Oblongata — 396 — (b) Automatic Excitations in the Brain Cortex — 401 — §4. Functions of the Mesencephalon and Diencephalon — 404 — (a) Functions of the Mesencephalon and Diencephalon in the Lower Vertebrates — 404 — (b) Functions of the Mesencephalon and Diencephalon in Man — 422 — 008 (c) Striatum and Lenticula — 424 — §5. Functions of the Cerebellum — 425 — §6. Functions of the Cerebral Hemispheres — 441 — (a) Phenomena of Abrogation after Partial Destruction of the Prosencephalon — 441 — (b) Phenomena of Abrogation after Total Loss of the Cerebral Hemispheres — 445 — (c) Results from Comparative Anatomy and Anthropology — 447 — (d) The Hypotheses of Localisation and their Opponents. The Old and the New Phrenologies — 450 — §7. Illustrations of the Psychophysical Analysis of Complex Cerebral Functions — 470 — (a) The Visual Centres — 470 — (b) The Speech Centres — 476 — (c) The Apperception Centre