The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-04-15

BRAINS rs 4 STUDY.

4
Curious Experiments in Europe Reporte
by Charles D"dIy Warner.
may find in Munich rare facilities for hi
pursuit, and he can enjoy advantages 70
studying the human brain which exis
no where else in the world Some of tin
readers of the Courant may be interested
in an unscientifc word or two abou
what saw the other day at the institu
ton for the insane. The director, Her
Professor Bernhardt Guddin, invented
amining the brain, which / believe i
new, and machine for facilitating tht
operation which is original. By meanl
of his process the structure of the brair
is studied at leisure and more thoroughly
than it has ever been before. The pro
cess is this: When the brain is taken
from the head entire, it is submitted to a
process which hardens it. This is accom-.
plished by soaking it in solution Of
bichromitc of potash. 1t requires two
years to give the brain of man the re
quisite solidity the smaller brain of an
inferior animal will harden in three
months. The mass is then imbedded in
wax and fitted into circular basin
having a screw underneath by which the
| brain can be raised or lowered. The
screw is turned so as to bring the sub
stance Just above the rim of the basin,
| and long razor-like knife, resting upon
the rim, is drawn over it, slicing off a
pairing from the brain, thin or thick, az
the anatomist wishes. The operation is
repeated until the brain-sliced, let us
say, vertically, from the front to the
back-is separated into 4 series of thin
plates of lamina. These lamina are then
put up in Venetian varnish glass, labeled
and numbered in the order they are cut
off, and they are ready for examination
under the microscope. The substance
first, however, is little tinged with YER
million, in order to render the translu-
cent, thin lamine visible. The color,
however, does not at all obliterate the dis
tinction between the gray and the white
substance of the brain. In the room
where L saw this process were brains in
all the stages, brains of men, of dogs,
| oxen, rabbits, doves, etc-jars full of
them, like some new and unpleasant sort
of pickle. And about the room were
cases with shelves, and boxes, filled with
brains, sliced, dried and put away for ex-
animation. Standing together in one
| corner were dozen boxes, foot and a
half long and six inches square, fitted
with slide and filled with the glass con-
tanning the lamina
How many brains,' / asked, ''are
contained in those boxes?"
"Oh," replied heprofessor, "only one,
only the brain of one man; but it has
been sliced into 700 plates. But we
cut the brains of animals thinner. There
| in that case is the brain of dog; it is
1000 plates''
You will understand by this the facil-
ity student would have for examining
the structure of the brain. Beginning
at the front, let us say, he can trace, with
perfect certainty, back to the base of
the brain and spinal column every nerve,
| every tissue, every minutest fibre. He
cannot only learn the origin of all, but
| the direction of each. Without the ne.
cessity of charging upon it, you will see
how completely this process lays the
brain open to study, and study that may
be pursued months or years on the same
brain. OF course, brains are sliced in
any direction, longitudinally as we'll as
transversely, and horizontally as well as
vertically. These admirable prepare.
lions have been, as yet, very little
studied, but they will ne doubt yield
valuable results. The experiments with
animals consist in removing the whole
or part of the brain from the LIVING
creature when it is in extreme youth
and then observing the result in maturi
ty. Take, for instance, dog. A por
ton of the puppy's brain is cut out. He
is then allowed togrow up, and at the enc
,
prepared in the manner have described
Take out quarter of dogs brain, o.
even one entire lobe, and he does no
mind it much; there is probably unusua
activity in the half remaining. If NOR,
than half of both lobcs from the front
is removed, the brain even grows a it'll
again, and the animal performs his ordi
nary functions. If all the brain is takel
the dog lives, but he is little better thai
All IDIOT; his food must he put into hi
mouth, he can direct his steps with n
certainty, and his eyes see without rec
| ognition.
A FIRST EXPERIENCE.-Last evenin
young lady abruptly turned the corne
, and very rudely ran against boy, VIII
| was small and ragged and freckIec
Stopping as soon as she could, she turne
, to him and said: al beg your pardon
2 Indeed 7 am very sorry" The small
] ragged and freckled boy looked up
, blank amazement for an instant the
4 taking off about three-fourths of cal
he bowed very low, smiled until his fac
t became lost in the smile and answered
: "You can hev my parding and welcom
miss; and yer may run agin me an
c knock me clean down an / won't say
n word After the young lady passed {
d he turned to comrade and said, Ina
Il alphabetically: al never had any OF
d ask my par'ling, and it kind O. took II
l. OH my feet. iodionopoijs He,uid.