The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1839-11-19
From The Boston Mercantile Journal.
MR. COMBE'S LECTURES.


ment for the kindness with which he was well
coined Oh his first visit to Boston, he proceeded
ut once 10 the demonstration of the position that
the brain is the organ of the mind. He adduced
some OF the numerous cases in surgery in which
when the injury to the head had caused n por-
| ton of the hone to press upon the integumcnts
of the brain consciousness was temporarily sus-
pended while the pressure continued, and was
restored when the pressure removed A
man, wounded in the head in The battle of Wa,
| terloo, was without the use of his mental tacul
ties thirteen months, though all the other vital
! functions went on. When the bone which
| pressed on his brain was removed by the sur.
geon, his consciousness returned and reverted
back to the period of his wound being received,
the interval having been blank to him. A fe-
male, patient of Sir Ashley Cooper had por.
| ton of the brain exposed by the removal of Il
part OF the Uranium by disease. She was con.
vclSng with the surgeon, when he accidentally
touched The brain with his finger She stopped
III the middle of IL sentence, and all conscious
ness was suspended, till the pressure was relnov-
ed. AS it was attended with no pain, the eXper-
lment was repeated with uniform result. In
this patient it was Observed that when the mind
was excited, as in animated conversation, the
brain protruded through the aperture, showing
that accession Of blood, which is known to &C
company the active state of the Other organs of
The body. So when her sleep was disturbed, by
dreams, the same rasul observed TO take
place. A case of DR. Smiths OF this city was
referred TO. The patient, hoy, received an in.
jury, which beat i'll portion OF the skull lie
was wholly scnse'e SIS ill The part of the broken
bone IN contact with the brain. was lifted up
Consciousness was then Immediately restored:
the boy sat up and asked for piece of bread.
1t was given him, and while lie was eating, the
surgeons instrument slipped,a and the bone touch
ed the BRAIN again, the boy fell senseIess, but
was at once restored by raising the bone again
/ he patient recovered.
Having gone through with the demonstration
that the brain is the organ of the mind, and re-
pied briefly TO the impulation thrown against
Phrenoogy, of tendency to materalism, he
proceeded TO touch upon some considerations to
snow that the bra in was not single organ, but
n conSeyies of organs. If the brain were sin
gle organ, ii person gifted with great powers of
mind in one mode of action, would be equally |
so in all. A great iIuihenatician might, lay hav-
he al eVHSf mere are native varieties OF calacI'
~ that men are born poets and ma(ae'no'''''"
til ough the deveopement OF lheT Pec"N''
ulties NAV he modified tavorabIy or nnfaVor"0''
by circumstances. .c. on |
At lie are of one month, the emotion OF ienr Is
strongly manifested. Why is tiff the BRAN he
s;noIe organ that the other emotions ana 'lic L'a
soning powers are not proporuohanV '''"''.c
edo Ii can ouly he accounted tor ny assuming
that the part Of the brain whch Is SI T' n,r
thnt emotion is earlier developed. lhal part
Of the head in which phrcnoloGistS place .ne
ORGAN of cautiousness can be remarked as i'o'hc'
uIurly prominent in early infancy ,o
Mr. Combe here Observed that the phcnone-
non of dreams could only be satisfactorily az
counted for on the supposltion OF "lnele"t !ei
rrees of activity different organs OF Inc '',,''.
Iurno sleep. If we suppose for instance mat
the perceptive organs are active, "i''' wv ~
fleeing and reasoning are dormant, we V''' az.
coUut for the disllnctness WIFI winch u'.''i"'"
and inanimate objects are present TO 'e MN" ~
| ,,l,.,
| ,bev are brought together, does not shocN VI
sururise us till they are REQUIRED TO IN our "'N
ing hours. , ri tho con
ditions of mental manifestation, one OF INC Nus
important of which was 'he s'Ze W lno f2I,n,v
{ s;ze Great size in the muscles, other cohn'''oi
La;uy equal is accompanied with gfeat. power
60 n} the nerves. The nerves of motion III III
: horse and the OK are much larger than '''oso y
sensation The case is reversed III nun, y, "
. nerves of motion are Que sixth less III s,Ae III"
,ha nerves ot sensation. In the trunk OF the G.
. nnhnuttbe nerve OF feeling expanded on '''e %
VANITY of the proboscis is larger than the ''e' w
. of the whole Of the organ. In the eagle, "''os
-, mower of vision is such that he can uis'ns" 10
his prev from immense he'gh'' lho"S y,
nh;act NAV be OF the color of the ground the %
,;c norve IS enormously thick, and me re''h"
10 f,lJad in a web like form, to give a grea'ei g
. ,ont of surface for the expansion OIL the he' '
., The ofactory nerves Of the seal ana 10Y i,, a
very large. The seal it is kmGw" 'an b Gns
~ approached at the windWard, so Keen 10 ,;alS
10 T ,rsha nlfac,orv nerve, which i'll these animals
ne s ''s ar"e as the finger, is in man not larger tn
~ r;ace of mack thread. In man TINS nerve "
n ar p 20 square inches in its EXPANSION in the ST
Of 1870. The brain them if its size d,a m1' ,bpo"
VI nond 70 the power which is exerc'seu ,n. n,,,
NV ponu o ~ ne an exception TO all animated na!u
1 T U" Mr. Combe here exhibited two casts n OF h ="
heads, measuring om to l3 inches ma%as IN oven nI
,@ zonta circumference. and OF I fron an id
top of the head 90 One new w"i n Manchester yhnp l.
m h s .iya with any degree OF mental coriey;
inc we will give up phrenoogy. nc oau Ieyen
,y of heads is % inches horizontal c'fcu.'a base
ore and ID from the Top 'of the nose 10 ,l'e n"7'
ore tma 81, nii in The hack of the head. He then
u w hibiled several Hndoo skulls taken as aver I've
ans specimens from a cabinet 100 when Ill ~
on examined in England. The Hindoo s sn''' -