The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-08-17
The Brain-The Mind Not Dependent
On IL.
New YORK Tribune

The views expressed at the Washing
ton convention of the physicians of in
sane asylums indicates somewhat the
course of scientific opinion as to the
functions of the brain. To the poets
and to the popular conception, the hui
man skull will long remain "the dome
of thought, the palace of the mind"
To the student of physiology. the seat
of the mental processes had been grad
ually narrowing and receding, till finally
DIR. Clark, of Toronto, tells that no sat
isfactory evidence proves that mentality
nerves at the base of the brain. We
can better appreciate how great is this
change from former views. if we COM
pare with such conception the notions
ON which phrenology was based, when
the various attributes of mind were sup
posed to display themselves in bumps"
of the skull, and, by consequence, to
reside on or near the circumference of
the organ within. If the new views are
to be accepted, much more than phre-
nology must be sacrificed. Brain power,
the new doctrine teaches, is not depend
ent alone on the size of the skulls con-
tents. Probably, also, considerations of
shape will follow those of size; people
with high foreheads will gain no reputa-
ton from tt err frontal expanses, and a
head as low crowned as that of Mound
Builder will be credited with a full
average supply of intellect.
1t must be admitted that there are
some facts hard to explain under the old
doctrine. DIR. Brown-Sequard described
a few years ago large number of cases
where people who had lost half or more
of their brains, succeeded 10 keeping
quite as much sense as they had ever
possessed. This was partially explained
on the theory that either half of the
brain may perform the functions of the
whole. But other instances were re-
lated where the full mental capacity
survived partial loss of both heInis-
pheres of the brain. However, there
was the cerebellum, the little brain, to
fall back upon. A great deal of faith
has been pinned to the cerebellum by
scientific folks who have lost faith in
their brains. But now comes DR.. Wal
ter Kemper, of Oshkosh, with the post
norton examination of patient who
was interested in the news of the day,
conversed intelligently on politics, reli-
gion and science and was well versed in
English literature, yet had suffered from
disease which wasted away one side of
her cerebrum and the other side of her
cerebellum, till neither was of one-fourth
the natural size. Such instances seem
more conclusive than the famous exper-
iments upon pigeons, in which the birds
not only survived the extirpation of
their entire aims, but even regained
apparently, their normal senses and
capacity after the lapse of few weeks.
ulties reside in the focus of nerves at
the base of the brain, there will be less
difficulty in obtaining correct notions
about the insect world. Few insects
have any brains, yet many of them as,
for instance, Sir John LubbocK's ants
have sound, discriminating intellects.
In fact, certain savage ants of South
America hold tracts of land, and wage
successful war against man when he
attempts to plant residence on their
domain. Big brains, in that case, are
powerless against no brains. What
then, it may be asked, is the use of the
organ in question, if it does not serve
as the seat of mind? DR.. Brown-Se.
guards answer was that the brain, like
| the hand, does the work of the mind
as it is ordered but is the instrument
not the motor. That view of the mat
ter suggests at least one sensible pre-
cept; If our brains are mere tools, WI
should at all events keep them in goot
order.