The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-11-14
A WONDERFUL DISCOVERY.
Prof. Terriers Marvellous Experiments
Immortality In Dreams-A new Glory
to Life

UVNDEhF I'll UIOCUFE hIs
Prof. Terriers Marvellous Experiments
Immortality In Dreams-A new GLORY
l to Life
[London Cor. New York Graphic.l
: The astonishing discoveries made by
2 Prof. Terrier respecting the possible
/ ties in the hands of scientists in regard
} to the manipulation of the human brain
3 have been widely commented upon in
J the public press. DIR. Carpenter and
the President of the British Association,
: before whom the lecture was delivered,
have stated with emphasis that no more
important discoveries have been made
since Kirchoff, Frauenhofer, Bunsen,
and Higgins developed the capabilities
or the spectrum.
The possibilities lying within the
scope of Prof Terriers discoveries are
amazing. The Professor, it will be re-
membered, puts animals under the in
fuence of chIoroform; the skull is then
removed and the brain exposed he then
takes an electric battery, and by proper
application of the positive and negative
electrodes npon various parts of the
brain, produces the most astounding
effects. The limbs of the animal are
moved, for instance the animal is made
to change the expression of its face
and, in fact, every variety of action is
produced. The result of these extraor-
binary discoveries is practically to re-
store phrenology to its proper place
in the ranks of the sciences. This is
admitted by DR.. Carpenter, the great
| Psychologist, who has heretofore been
so strong an opponent of phrenology.
These facts not only settle the old
dictum-"T The brain is the organ of the
mind" and vice VerSG, that the mind
acts only through the brain-but it
shows that the brain is the seat of hu-
man emotion and of all sensorial and
| motorial capacity. We cannot move,
any more than we can think, without
the brain. In presence of the audience,
the Professor was able to tell what eff
fects would follow when a particular
part of the brain was touched and,
moreover, when his assistant caused
various movements of the animals the
Professor could tell what was being
done with the brain.
A specially interesting field of specu-
lation has been opened up by these
novel experiments and were it possible
to remove the skulls of living human
subjects, no doubt some most surpris- |
view of the immense value and impor-
lance of such experiments, and of the |
advantages in the study of human |
physiology and biology which the facts
elected would probably convey, appeals |
to the Government are talked of for per-
mission to manipulate the brains of .
criminals condemned to death. And
this defense of such an extraordinary
plea may be made, that it should be re
membered that death under this species
of manipulation can be rendered abso-
lutely painless to the criminal. Before
he revlves from his sleep, he can be in
simultaneously despatched by a ire
mendous discharge of electricity. In
stead of choking the murderer to death
with a rope-a mode of dispatching
criminals which is sometimes painfully
prolonged criminal would be ut
terly oblivious during the whole prog
ress of the experiments, and would
never return to a conscious existence
again.
But, startling as all this is, there is
vastly more importance bound up ia
the discovery. It has been the good
luck of your correspondent to have con-
ferences with some of the intimates of
of Prof. Terrier, and l almost fear to
tell you the results of nay inquiries.
It is claimed that the Professor has
discovered a way of stimulating the
brain by electricity without removing
the skull; and that by an exterior
he, knowing the posi-
lions of the various organs, has been
enabled to materially change the char
acters of people who come to him as
patients. His power is specially marked
in cases of depraved alimentiveness-
in dipsomania, the alcoholic
thirst BY the application of electricity
to that portion of the brain which com
the alimentive faculties, and
to eating and drinking, the dis
eased longing is made to cease ; and by
a course of continued applications the
drunkard's depraved appetite is not
only cured, but he acquires an intense
aversion for all kinds of alcoholic slim
illus. People of extreme irritabil1ty, of
great combativeness and destructive
ness, are soothed by the application of
electricity, so that the irritability disap.
pears and they become amiable and
agreeable companions. Women who
are scolds, and men who are fierce and
brutal in temperament persons who
are afflicted with melanchOia, or Excess
sive caution, or extreme nervousness,
are all susceptible of cure under these
strange methods.
But the most surprising effeet of cleo
tricity upon the brain is in regard to
sleep. As Psychologists are aware, no
part of the human system sleeps except
the brain. During Our nightly rerose
the blood circulates, the stomach di-
gests, the liver and kidneys secrete
their humors, and all the functions of
the body continue in operation-not so
actively, perhaps, as when we are awake,
but certainly with very little percepta-
BILE difference. The only part of the
human economy, then, in which any
change appears to be effected in sleep is
the brain and nervous system, which in
their normal condition require varying
periods of repose. But the Professor,
according to his friends, has discovered
that the time of sleep may be reduced
to minimum that one or two hours
will be amply sufficient hereafter when
thle system has been applied to the hui
man race and that this enormous gain
can be made without affecting the in
tegrity of the nervous system or limiting
the duration of life.
And. what is still more surprising,
after reducing sleep to a minimum, and
thereby adding one-third to our active
sentient life, the Professor is enabled to
induce the most magnificent dreams in |