Richland beacon., 1880-11-27
THE HUMAN TELEGRAPH.
Tn" Wonderful TeIegrnPhir Syaten, In the
Human ALuli-nw tiasiIy IL Works
when the Wires Are Down or Out Of
Repair.

Recent Investigations into the intrica-
cies Of the mind and brain have n realis-
tic or mechanical tendency. The brain
Is treated like vast and complicated
telegraph system in a pupulous COM
rnuhlty, with various centcrs of inrorma-
tlon and Intelligence, communicating
and intercommunicating their news and
wants, sending messages hither and
dlthet along the nerves, and having
helr business done at the very cxtremi-
ties Of the bodily lycontinent-at the cape4
Iorn and Good Hope represented by the
let, at the highly organized island ma
tons like England and Japan. to which
ore may liken the hands and fingers.
BIT all this is SO mysterious and hidden
tht Its regular operations cannot bc de-
teced.
l. Is only when the telegraph wires
brcik down, or the Atlantic cable ceases
worling, OF the railroad tracks are
blocked with the snow. that we fully
realize he necessity all these inventions
are To cur civilization. And SO it is only
when some portions of the apparatus
Gale. sie brain Is diseased that it is pos
sible te discover the relations Of the parts
to one and another and to the whole.
Even 1hen it is largely conjectEral, and
the conclusions OF some scientists are dis
putCd by others; bnt still there has been
something discovered, and the Observa-
tiors in regard to the organism of that
pat Of the brain relating to speech have,
in consequence of paralysis or palsy,
been reasonably well determined.
Verbal memory, thought, and express
sion by speech or writing depend upon
the activity of what are called auditory
and visual word centers of perceptions;
that is, those central brain batteries, as
one may call them, where words, after
being heard or seen in print or writing,
are understood, and given off again in
speech and writing. Any breaking
down of the nervous telegraph
lines between these centers result in
peculiar disorders Sometimes disease
lowers their activity; then there are de-
fects in speech or in the capacity to
write or to read At other times disease
may intensity the activity of the battery
and telegraph, and then there will be IL
lusions, hallucinatiOns and other mental
disorders peculiar to the insane.
Among the slight defects in this ap-
paratus, common to nearly all persons,
is a momentary forSetfulness of words or
names, with power Of recovery after
time. But sometimes this defect is per-
manent and habitual, and the power to
recall names and words is entirely gone.
One person suffering from this loss Of
power, caused by paralysis, could not,
when asked about his nightcap, tell what
it was. ''And vet 1 know very well, he
-.,ok 1,,,t T raot rannllacf W
When told that it was nightcap: "Oh!
yes; it is nightcap." The same thing.
with few exceptions, like his pipe, was
reported. when various articles were
shown him. He had worked all his life
with shovel and pickax, but could not
recall their names. When they were
told him. he would Mt once recognize the
words, but two minutes afterward he was
as helpless rs before.
AT A LOSS FOR WORD.
Many persons in perfect health are
often at a loss for word, but III the dis-
eases of old age this is very common;
although it frequently happens that the
first letters of words are recollected. A
farmer fifty years old had stroke OF par,
alysis. resulting in painful hesitation OF
speech, which, however, was conhned 10
nouns and proper names. He could;
moreover. recollect the first letter OF
every word he wanted to use. but could
not recollect the word itself. So he made
list of words he was most In the habit
OF using. and put them down on a piece
of paper in alphabetical form, including
the names of his family, his servants,
and acquaintances. This he kept CON
veniently in his pocket. If he wished to
ask anything about COW. he would turn
to the letter G, and finding the word
"cow" would keep his finger upon II
until he had finished his sentence and
introduced the word. So long as he had
his eyes fixed upon the written letters he
could pronouce the word ''cow" at the
proper place. but the moment he smut
mn his book il passed out Of his memory