The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-11-07
A WONDERFUL MACHINE.
The Brain, and What the New Psy-
chOlogy is Proving About Its Func-
tions.

The Brain, ana what the New fsy.
chOlogy is Proving About It's Func-
lions.
prof. Youmans in the Popular Sciences.l
What are the essence of mind and the
essence of matter, and whether they are
ut bottom two things or one thing, are
beyond ascertainment, and will probably
ever remain so. The nature OF the
union is mystery, just as the nature
of the union between gravity and matter
is a mystery; in both cases we investigate
only the laws of tho phenomena. AS
the problem is one of the connection be-
tween two system of action, the first step
toward its solution must be to resolve
these two systems into their simplest
elements. The structural elements of
the nervous system are marvelously
simple they consist of microscopic
cells and tibers, the former being seats
or centers of force, and the latter being
the means of transmitting it.
Cells and fibers are the instruments OF
mental action, and, exactly as we rise in
the scale of intelligence in animated
creatures, there is an increase in the
mass of the nervous centers-that is, a
multiplication of the nerves and tibers
which constitute them. In man, the
most intelligent of the animal series, the
organ of intelligence is relatively very
large, and attains the highest degree OF
completely.
Prof. Balm represents the nervous ele
ments of the human brain as follows
The thin cake of gray substance sur
rounding the hemispheres of the brain,
and extended into many doublings by
the furrowed or convoluted structure, is
somewhat difficult to measure. 1t has
been estimated at upward of 800 square
inches, or MS nearly equal to a square
surface of Is inches IN the side. Its
thickness is variable, but, on an aver
age, it may be stated at one-tenth of an
inch. 1t is the largest accumulation of
gray matter in the body. 1t is made up
of several layers of gray substance di-
vided by layers of white substance.
The gray substance is nearly compact
mass OF cOrpuscles of variable size.
The large caudate nerve-cells are mingled
with very small corpuscles less than the
thousandth of an inch in diameter. AL
lowing for intervals, we may suppose
that linear row of 800 cells occupies an
inch, thus giving 250, 900 to the square
inch for 800 inches. If one-half the
thickness of the layer is made up of
tibers, the corpuscles or cells, taken by
themselves, would be mass one TWEEN
tieth of an inch thick, say 10 cells in
the depth. Multiplying these numbers
together, we should reach total of
1000, 900, 600 cells, in the gray covering
OF the hemispheres. AS every cell is
united with at least two fbers, often
many more, we may multiply this num-
Der by four for the number of connect
ing fibers at ached to the mass. which
gives 4, 800, 900, 900 fibers. y
Now, in saying that such wonderful
organism as this is the seat and embodi-
ment of the mind, we require to give
distinctness to our conceptions, and are
compelled to regard the connected cells
and fibers as the simple instruments of
simple mental processes as the whole
fabric is the organ and measure of the
whole mind. The corporal elements
are cells and fibers-what are the
psychical elements in their lowest
analysis? The old division OF the mind
into faculties-as reason, judgment,
memory, and imagination-ls INSULT
cient, for these are far from being ulti-
Iltlc tItIutuIdIN pIOCCSoco, DuV are
rather the most complex actions OF the
complex forces of the intelligence in
different modes of exercise. The later
psychology resolves all these so-called
faculties into few constituents which
form, if we may so speak, the context
IRE of the intellect AS Pro-. Balm re-
marks We have no power Of memory
in radical separation from the power of
reason or the power of Imagination.
The classification is tainted with the
fault called in logic cross-division.
The real fundamental separation of the
powers of the intellect is INTO three
facts called: l. Discrimination, the
sense, feeling, or consciousness, of diff
ference; 2. similarity, the tense, feel
ing, or consciousness, of agreement
and, 3. Retentiveness, or the power of
memory or acquisition. These three
functions, however much they are
mingled in our mental opentions, are
totally distinct properties, ard each the
groundwork of different siperstruct-
ure. AS an ultimate analysis of the
mental powers, their numbel cannot be
increased or diminished fewer would
not explain the facts, more ae unneces-
sary. They are the intellect the whole
/ ALL A