Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-06-25
A New Scientific Discovery
Lon,ion letter

A New Scientific Discovery. t
London letter.
Physiology Is on tho eve OF an ex.
observation-disclosures. What Gall and
Spnrzheim CROPPED nfter in loose and
empirical fashion 10 now established
on the sure ground Of experiments.
Tho modus opcraadi Is new and in-
genious. Tho animal to be expcri-
mented on 10 first put undcr chloro-
form. Tho next thing is to. clear
away the skull aud expose the brain.
This, It will be understood, Is DIFF
fcult ai,d delicate operation, but is
done, aud the siiiinal 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 Of the brain
into activity without iDjuring the |
parts. The process employed by DR..
Ferrier Is W hat is known as fsradiziug.
After uncovcring the brain, he applies
the point Of an electrodc to the con-
volutus of the brain. Its effect is to
excite the functional activity Of that
part, mud thereby to show what It's
real work is. One Of the first expe-
riments disclosed the part that is
employed in wagging the tail. Soon
after tho centres engaged In supply
ing Ito limbs, the mouth, head, &c.,
were discovercd, aud already DIR.
Ferrier has succeeded In compietinga q
man Of tile brain with all its organs,
distinguished by the sure ard rigor-
GUS test of experiment. Nothing
could surpass the interest of those
experiments. On the table before
lyou is the dog, with.its skull remov-
ed. All seems, but for the breathing
and movement of the brain, all inert
mass of dead matter. The doctor
applies the clectrode, and presently
the tail begins to wag. All else Is
motionless. Another touch, and its
forepaw is stretched out; another,
and it's head is erect; another; and the
mouthopens. Again the magic wand
touches the brain, and the animal
seems convulscd with fear and rage,
and so Oh the experiments go. Once
the dIvining rod has been discovered
it is comparatively easy for an ex-
pert Vissicator to use it. This dis
covery, SO simple once it is known,
will effect almost revolution i'll
physiology. One of the chief re-
, suits attained by DR.. Ferrier is the
belief that each convolution is o
,, separate organ, although occasion.
nlly several may be conjoiued fol
common work. He also finds thai
the great motion centres are collect
ed In the front part of the brain--t
!, result that shows the phrenologist
were not far out i'll that quarter
1t has also demonstrated that tn
8 nerves moving the muscles of the jaw
i arc Just above the ear, where tn
3 psychologists place gustativenes:
But other experiments make ga
havoc with the locality of MANY G
G the "bumps." The most singular G
e all the experiments is one provin
&c that one of the main uses, if not tn
Q sole one, of the cerebellum is to suppl
g the muscles of the eye. This is a
q extraordinary confirmation of one Q
:! Professor Bain's m 'st characteristic
I, views. But the most important in
a mediate elect OF DIR. Terriers di.
IL covcry will be an improved trca
4 ment of diseases of the BRAIN. 1t hH
Is found out why considerable portion
le of the brain may be diseased withOi
interfering with sanity, and VIII
at other slight lcsions produce epileps!
Id 1t has succeeded i'll artiiicially PR
e, ducing epilepsy in dog. This is
~ most wonderful part of the disco'
) lery, and proves the truth of the col
- lecture Of DIR. Hewllngs Jackso
Ia fthat epilepsy arises from a lesion b
ttwcemty two conyolutions of the brai
n DR.. Ferrisr> has also found out Il
he origin of chorea o. 81. Vitus' dane
b. and has been able to make his alims
to show al the esymptoms ofthe dfseS
VS. artificialIy. He l1as caused teian
1t and other peculiar and difficult stat
of the muscular system. Curious
er enough, DIR. Terriers discovery C
incides with another almost csse
Nv tial to it's practical success. Anat
. mists have warned phrenologists III
IN they erred in taking the outwal
ia shape of the skull as indicating t
be shape of the brain. The skull vari
Ut considerable, and it is impossible
he say of any particular part that t
brain is such or such distance b
IL low. Nevertheless, a young anat
ur mist has recently shown that there
o. a relation between the shape of Il
OF skull and Of the brain, and that it
rs possible to know what is in I
ne inside of the head without brcakii
it open. This is most opportunc, +
lr- when DIR. Ferrier has mapped out t
Is; brain it will be possible to diagno
~, mans faculties as easily rs tell l
Tie shape. We are glad to learn that
Ter the instance of Professor HuXle
the Royal Society has. come han
somcly forward and voted n grant
re- DR.. Fcrricr to carry out his expe
ess ments on monkeys. The monkey
ou tho nearest approach TO man in I
my animal Kingdom, and as it is of cou
out of the question to experiment
J." nn,to snbstitutc, hItopether. it
cr- iitnIy that Dr Ferrier,s dlscoye
bi- hevond omv discovery of the pres,
'or generation, will enlarge the circle
,ss, tho h.nn;ncss of mankind.
n't " ,pP