Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-04-23
cURIOSITIES or MEMORY.

"Memory,' says recent writer on
mental physiology, "is the organic reg
istration of the effects of Impressions
This definition has, al all events, the
merit OF greatly extending the ordina-
ry meaning of the term, and of indica-
ting the relations of the retentive
mental faculty in the system of nature.
In this view, every organ OF plant or
animal has memory. The Topped
tree, the wounded limb, the face mar
red by the virus Of the smallpox, all
have memory, and one as retentive
as that of the brain cells. to the record
of whose mawelously-delicate modifi-
cations we generally, and properly G.
nough, limit the name. The charac-
ters in which all organic changes are
written may be said to be indelible.
The scar OF a deep wound, though it
may become less marked with age, is
never efiaced. Similarly, in a brain
not disorganized by injury or disease,
the records Of memory are stereo-
typed. TO recall them to conscious
ness may be wholly beyond our pow
er; we may think that they are lost to
lis forever, till something occurs to al
Ter to an inappreciable degree the min
ute nerve cells, and thus to tear off the
veil which hid from us the thoughts
and events of the past.
1t il well know that in the agony OF
drowning the veil is sometimes stripped
off the tablets of memory, and the in
scriptions again made legible to con
sciousness. In the following case, mar
rated by Oliver Wendell Holmes, the
revival of the impression led to a very
practical result A. held bond against
B. for several hundred dollars. When
it became due, he searched for it, but
could not find it. lie told the facts to
B., who denied having given the bond
and intimatcd fraudulent design or
the part Of A., who was compelled tc
submit to the loss and the charge a
gainst him. Years afterward, B. was
bathing in Charles River, when he
was seized with cramp and nearly
drowned. On coming to his senses
he went to his book ease, took out {
book, and from between its leaves
took out the missing bond. In the
sudden picture Of his entire life the
putting the bond in the book, and the
book III the bookcase, had been vivid
ly represented. Ones feelings of jus
tice are only partly satisfied by learn
ing that the bond was paid with inter
est. In a case mentioned by DR.. Alb
crcrombic, it would be difficult to give
any feasible explanation of the revival
Of the impression, unless on the IIiber,
MAN assumption that q person may re
member what he never knew. A boy
at the age Of four, received a fracture
of the skull, for which he underwent
the operation Of trepan. He was al
the time III a state ofperfect stupor
and after recovery retained no recol
: lection either of the accident or the
operation. AT the age of fifteen, du
ring the delirium of fever, he gave
his mother Il correct description of the
operation and the epersons present at it
with their dress, and other minute par
ticulars. He had never alluded to i
} before, and no means were known by
which he could have acquired a knowl
edge of the circumstances.
The foregoing are examples Of ex
aItation OF memory under the condi
tons Of injury or disease affecting th'
organ Of thought. But these repro
ductions of the long-vanished forms o
the past not intrequently take place il
perfect health. In many cases, thu
t only thing wanted to revive an impres