The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1873-09-04
Extraordinary Scientific Die.
covey.


Under this startling title a CORES
pondent of tho Dundee (Scotland)
Advsrtiser, Of the 7th May last, sets
forth the merits OF DR.. Ferrler as
dlscoyerer in mental physiology. II
it were possible to make experiments
on men condemned to death, and thus
enlarge the bounds Of human knowi.
edge, it would, perhaps. be of great
service to science. Neither the dog
nor monkey are near enough to man
in mental development to make ex-
perments very satisfactory as elu.
cidating human mentality. Hints
may be obtained from the cerebral
functions Of dogs to warrant an ap-
pllcation of the same principles to
the human brain, even though the ex
-periments may not be repeated on
men. But to the article referred to :
"For some time the Scientific world
has not been startled and rejoiced by
any very great discovery, but at the
present moment we are on the eve OF
the publication Of one OF the greatest
discoveries OF the present age. The
happy man who has struck on new
aud rich vein of scientific truth comes
from the Granite City, aud is a livery
distinguished alumnus of the Univer.
s,ty ot'Abcrdeen. DR.. Ferrier, who
was some time ago appointed success.
sor to DR.. Guy in the chair of loren.
sic medicine in Kings College, Lon
don, has just crowned the study Of
years by most happy and brilliant
series of experiments. DR.. Ferrier
was a successful student OF philoso.
ply, and gained the Ferguson schol-
arship IN Glasgow before he studied
medicine. 1t was, probably, his &C.
quaintance with Professor Bain's
psychology that led him to give spec.
lal attention to the physiology of the
brain; and his graduation thesis on
the brain, for which he obtained q
gold medal, proved that be had al.
ready entered on the study IN which
he IS destined to acquire enduring
fame. He has never lost sight OF the
subject to which he attached himself
so early ~ BY the invitation OF
Dr.. Critchton Brown hs went to
Wakefield, and was amply provided
with cats, dogs, and other animals for
his experiments. The results astor.
ished himself. = - Physiology is
on the eve Of an extraordinary ad.
vance. What Gall aud Spurzbeim
CROPPED after in q loose and emperical
fashion is now establist ed on the sure
grounds Of experiments. The s'od4s
opsrsmd; is new and ingenious. The
animal to be experimsnted on is first
put under nhlonnform. Tho next
thing is to clear away the skull and
expose the brain. This, it will be
understood, is . difficult and delicate
operation, but is done, and the aui-
NAL may live from three hours to four
days. All this has been done often
enough before, but the difficulty was
to get some mode Of rousing parts
u the brain into activity without in
juring the parts. Here Faraday comes
in. Such is the way Of scientific dis
coveries-every step leads to the
next. Without Simpson and chloro.
form the operation could not have
been usefully attempted; without
Faraday the operation might have
been performed . thousand timea
without leading to any result. The
| process employed by DR.. Ferrler Is
| what is known as iaradiziag. Alter
uucovering the brain be applies The
point Of an electrode to the conyolu
tus of the BRAN. Its effect 10 to ex
cite the functional activity Of tha
part. and thereby to show what it
real work is. One of the 6rst exper
| iments disclosed the part that i en-
| ployed IN wsggiug the tail. Sooi
after, the csuters engaged 10 supply
ling the limbs, tho mouth, head, etc.