River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-09-05
TIT BRAIN.
Questioning "a 20 the Tru seat or THE
HnsSIIIgence.

Questioning 10 the True seat or tiIc
HnssIiIgeDce.
From the New York Tribune
The views expressed at the Washington
convention Of tie physicians Of insane
asyfuns indicate somewhat the course
Of scientific opinion as to the functions Of
the brain. To the poet, and TO the pop
ular conception, the human skull VIII
| long remaiL the dome Of thought, the
| palace OF the mind To the student Of
4 physiology, the seat Of mental process
/ had been gradually narrowing and rpced-
! ing, until finally Dr. Clark Of Toronto,
/ tells US that no satisfactory evidence
/ proves that mentality is localized beyond
/ a focal point Of the nerves ~ the base If
4 the brain. We can better appreciate
how great is iho change from former
I views, if We compare with such a con
Ct ption. TIE notions on which phrenology
was based when the various attributes or
mind were supposed to display them
selves in the "bumps" of the skull. end,
! bv consequence, 10 reside on or near the
circumference OF the organ within. Ii
the new views are % be accepted. much
more than phTenology must be sacrificed.
/ Brain power, tie new doctrine teaches, is
not dependent alone on the size Of the
skulls contents. Probably, also, consid
erations of shape will follow those If
size; people with high foreheads will
gain no reputation from their frontal ex-
/ panses. and head as low crowned as
that Of mound builder will be credited
with full average supply Of intellect
1t must b. admitted that there are
some facts hard 10 explain under the old
doctrine. DR.. Brown-Sequard describe
few years ago large number Of cases
where peop.e who had lost half or more
of their brains s. eeeded in keeping
quite as much sense as they had ever
possessed. This was partially explained
In the theory thai either half Of the brain
may perform the function of the whole.
But other instances were related where
the full mental capacity survived par
tial loss of both hemispheres Of the brsir.
However, there was the cerebellum, the
little brain, to tail back upon. A great
deal Of faith has been pinned to the cer-
ebelIum bY scientific folks who have lost
faith in their brains. Bot now comes
DR.. Walter kemper, of Oshkosh, WITH
the pnst-mortem examination of the pa
tient who was interested il the news Of
the dav, conversed lntelligensly On poll
tics. religion, and science. and was well
versed 10 English literature. YET had suf
fered from a disease which wasted away
one side Of her Centrum, till neither
VIE one-t0rth the natural size. Such in
stances seem more conclusive than fhe
the famous experiments upon pigeons.
in which the birds not only survived the
exterpation of the entire brains bur even
regained, apparently, their normal senses
and capacity after the lapse Of few
weeks.
fit be conceded the mental faculties
reside in the focrs Of nerves at the base OF
the BRAN and viii be less difficulty liz OBJ
tanning correct notions about the insect
world. Few insects have no brains. RET
many of them-as Tor instance, Sir Jobn
Lubbock s auts-hsve sound. discnmin
ating intellects In fact, certain savage
ants in SoutI America hold tracts Of
land, and wage successful war against
man whcn he attempts TO plant resi-
denee on their dominion. Big brains
In that case IRE powerless against NJ
brains. What. then, il NAV be asked, j.
the use OF the organ in question, if il
does not serve as the seat of mini. DI
Brow n -Sequard 5 answer was that the
brain. like The hand, docs the work d
the mind, as it is ordered; but is fbe il
Stlument, not the motor That view 81
. Ne matter suggests at least one seuRi bic 4
ecept; if our brains ara mere tools We
should at ali events keep them il good
order.