Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-05-18
Mind Not Dependent, ON ur.,,

The views expressed at the washin rton cor
, nehuon OF the physicians OF insane aSylums
lH0lcdte somewhat the course of Scicntiar
oPihlon as To the functions Of the brain re-
me tdie poets and to the popular conception. the
tbni,.s sknll viii long remain the dome OF
lhought, the palace Of the mind" To the
student OF physiology, TO the seat of the men
TAI processes has been gradually narrowins
sia reeedlng iill finally DIR. Clark, of Toronto
His US lhat no satisfactory evidence proyes
that mentality is localized hayond a forsi
pelnt OF the nerves at the base of the hrsin
We can oetter appreciate how great is this
change from former views. il we compare with
such a conception. the motions on which
phrenology Was based, when the various al
tributes oil mind were supposed 10 display
themselves in the bumps of the skull and
py consequence, 10 reside on or near the cir
cumference of the organ within. II the new
views are to be accepted, much more THAI
phrenology must be sacrificed. Brain.power,
the new doctrine teaches is not dependent
alone on the size of the skulls contents
tTooaoiy also, considerations of shape viii
iholo" those OF size; people with high fore
neads VIII gain no reputation from their
frontal eNpanSes, and a head as low crowned
a as, that 9i Mound Builder will he credited
Win luii average supply OF intellect
II must be admitted that there are Soma
IactS hard To explain under the old doctrine.
III BroMnSequard described few years ago.
a large number of eases where peopie who bsi
ioSt nan or more OF their brains succeeded in
keeping quite as much sense as they had evar
possessed. inns was partially explained on
the theory that either half OF the brain NAV
perform the functions of the whole But Other
instances were related where the fun meni,i
capacity survived partial loss of both hcmiS
pnereS OF the brain. However, there was the
terebellum, the little brain, TO fail back upop
n great deal of faith has been pinned 10 the
eceil,sioelium, by scientific folks who have lost
ialth IN their brains But now comes DR. Wal
Ter hemper, OF Oshkosh. with the post mortea
examination OF a patient who was Interested
III the news oil the day, converSed inteligently
on p"ntlcS, religion and science and was wrfI
NeTSed in English literature Vet had sunarad
from disease which wasted away one side of
her cerebrum and the other side of her cere
bellnm, till neither was of one fourth the M
tural size. Such instances seem more conclu-
Slve than the famous experiments upno
pigeons, In which the birds not only survived
the eNtlrpatlon OF their entire brains, but even
reSalneu apparently, their normal senses aud
capacity after the lapse OF few weeks
III II he conceded that the mental faculties
reside IN the locus OF nerves at the base of the
brain, there Will be less difficulty i'm obtainiDp
correct notions about the insect world Few
insects nave any brains, yet many of them
as Tor instance. Sir John Lubbock'S ants
nave 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 a resi-
uence on their domain. Big brains i'm that
ease, are powerleSS against no brains What
then, II NAV be asked, is the use of the orran
IN question, If ii does not serve a. the seat OF
nina? Dr. Brown Sequard'S answer was that
the brain, like the hand. does the work of the
mind, as II is ordered; but is the instrument
not The motor. That view of the matter SIIV
StSiS al least one sensible precept il our
Drains are mere tools, we should at al. events
Leep them in good ORDERLY. y. Tribune
A REMARKABLE STORY in relation to tho
murder ol the late Earl of Leitrim is printed
IN the New York HerdId. The Earl il ix
asserted, was Killed by the relatives of a
woman whom he had Seduced. They went
two OF the three men who committed the deed
are SAID TO have escaped To this country