American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-01
Have We Two Brains?

A very singular theory advanced many
years ago by Sir Henry Holland, has
again been brought before the scientific
world by Dr. Brown Sequard. This the
DRY is that we have two brains, each per-
fectly sufficient for the full performance
of the mental functions. 1t was formerly
supposed that the left side of the brain
controls the movements and feelings of the
| right side of the body, and rice Uersa. In
| DIR. Brown-Sequards theory we make
use of only one in thought, while the
other half remains perfectly useless as re-
CARDS manifestations of intelligence. The
bodily powers are duplex, and very few of
the organs are single, though several
which are really double appear to be
( single. We do not permit these pairs of
members to remain idle With the eX-
ception of the arms, both members per-
form their share of the work. What the
doc;sf proposes is to try and bring both
halves of the brain, or both brains, into
operation. BY this means mental one
sidedness will disappear, and higher
I standard of intelligence supervene. Many
/ cases are quoted by different authorities in
support of this theory. DR.. Wigin insists
| that among insane persons we often recOg-
niZe two different minds-one sane, the
other insane, or both insane, but in differ
! ent degrees. One example, taken from
/ the Hoosier Schoolmaster," is striking
! ly in point. The patient imagined him
! self Gen. Jackson. He said his head
! had been shot off at Bueny Visty," and
| that the new one which had "growed on
weren't nigh so good as the old one" His
/ head, according to him, was "tatur on
one side, but all ght on t'Other." When
he knew thing in the left side of his
! head he knew it; and it was really the
case that this crazy pauper gave clear and
valuable testimony in a court of justice.
An insane patient knows that he is insane.
| 1.-The lunatic," says Brown Sequard, 81 is
at one and the same time perfectly rational
and perfectly insane"
| 1t has been shown that the faculty of
! speech depends either wholly or mainly
on the left side of the brain. Out of more
than 100 cases of aphasia, or loss of
power of speech, only one is known in
which the right side of the brain was dis
eased, which goes to show that the two
sides are distinct from one another. DIR.
Brown-Sequard maintains that the left
brain is used in speech as the right hand
is used in writing, and that by training
both brains should render this form of
cerebral disease less likely to cause loss
of speech. Sight affords evidence that
the distinct action of the two sides of the
brain is not incompatible with the COM
pleteness of the power possessed by either
Each side of the brain possesses appar-
emily the potentiality of rendering sight
brain chiefly controls the gestures, and
for the reason that it guides the move
ments of the right side of the body, and it
is chiefly with the right arm that gestures
are made. 1t is also known that the pow
er of reasoning depends on the left side of
the brain more than the right, and in cases
of insanity the left side has most frequent
ly been found diseased.
The right side of the brain in turn pos
sesses its special functions. 1t serves
chiefly to produce the emotional manifes-
tations, including those called hysterical,
and also to control the needs of the body
as respects nutrition
Every organ which is put in use for a
certain function gets developed. So with
the brain. The left side, which receives
more blood than the right, is greater than
that side That the head grows larger
with years is a fact well known to matters,
and the growth of the head affords very
strong proof of the growth of the brain.
The superior size of the left side of the
brain is also shown by the prevalence of
right handedness among all races of men.
We exercise most the right side OF the
body, hence the left side of the brain be-
comes better developed. If we exercised
equally both sides of the body, would not
the two sides of the brain become equally
developed, and both become capable of
controlling the reasoning faculties? The
hope of DR.. Brown-Sequard is that by
teaching our children to use both sides of
the body equally two sides of the brain
may be brought into more uniform action.
If we were to train the left side of the
body as carefully as we are in the habit of
training the right, there is a chance that
we should have two brains respects
mental functions, instead of one, as at
present.
Dr. Brown Sequard's theory is of course
open to objections, for many familiar ex-
periences are against them. They are,
however, worthy of attention. As the
world grows older and its stock of knowl-
edge becomes increased, there is of course
a greater demand for brain power. A trial
of DR.. Sequard's plan of a more careful
training of the left side would at least do
no harm, while it might have the effect of
bringing to more exact balance many in
tellects now sadly off the level.-Chicaso
IateTOcedn.