The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-06-03
Skulls, Brains and Souls.

The weight of the brain has often
been held to be the criterion of the
mind, though apart from the want Of
confirmation obtained from inyestiga-
ton, there are serious theoretical diff
culties. The brain, whatever other
functions it may have, Is undoubtly a
source Of power supplied to the muscles,
and we are ignorant to what extent the
activity of the muscular system or the
size Of the body may influence that OF
the brain. Ne know that Il muscle
grows by judicious exercise; why then
should not the brain, supplying it
with the nerve force necessary for It's
increased duties, enlarge pari pGssU!
1t may be doubtful whether we can
prove that this is 50. DIR. LeBon, in
work to which shall refer again, has
decided that the height of person has
an effect, though Il very slight one, on
the size of the brain. He found that
tn: influence of the weight Of the body
/ is greater, butby no means sufficient to
account for the variations of the brain.
Another disturbing element is age.
1t has been estimated that after a
rather uncertain date, say forty-fiye
years, the brain gradually dwindles
Again may not some wasting disease
preceding death cause shrinking of
the organ; and may not other patholog-
zeal changes increase its density? All
these sources of errer must make Us
skeptical az to individual results,
though at the same time, we cannot
free ourselves from some share i'll the
general belief that the weight Of the
brain is an index of the mind.
The weight of the brains of numbers
Of known men, distinguished and other
wise, has been cited for and against
this theory. OuvIer is usually found
heading the list, with brain weight of
64.33 ounce. (The average weight for
the male is between 40 and 50) One
is struck with the apparent propricty
that this vast intellect should have
worked through heavy brain. With
in the last ten years, however, labor
er has died III England, whose brain
weighed 81 ounces. OF his history and
habits little is known. Though intel
ligent for his rank in life, he eapparent-
ly gave no signs of fitness tor higher
one. His most intellectual trait, if |
remember rightly, was his fondncss Tor
reading newspapers, probably the only
literature he could easily obtain. Chill
penUry' may have "reprcssed his noble
rage, if he had any. He may have
been Il 'Emute, inglorious Milton" But
who knows whether the sublime i'm
aginations Of the poet bctokcned re
markable cerebral development?
James Fisk, Jr., had brain weighing
5S ounces, surprising Daniel Webster,
Chameery Wright, Dupaytrtn, and a
mathematician OF the first r:lnk. Indeed
all Of these, except Fisk, came after a
man who from his second year WAS
reckoned an idiot \ celebrated phil
iologist Is below the average, and Il Gel
ebratcd mincrologist much below it.
In spite Of many exceptions, however,
Wc find distinguished men more numer-
Gus near the top Of the list, and labor
ers, criminals and idiots ut the other
end of it.
Before leaving the literature of the
subject, | must mention paper by
DIR. J. :. Wright, Of Brooklyn. The
basis Is Il series Of measurements, which
show clearly enough the outline and
capacity OF the head, taken ON forty
two men and as many women, one-half
Of each set being educated and the 9th
er half ignorant. The numbers, no
doubt, are far to small to give salts
factory mean, and other objections-as,
for instance, the mingling Of those Of
different races in the same category
might be raised; but the work is in
geniouS, and not fruitless. The author
shows that the torepart of the head is
more developed iii educated men than
in educated women. He finds, more
over, that the brain Of the uneducated
male somewhat resembles in size and
form that Of the educated female.
Anatomists give very discordant di-
rections for determining thesex of skulls.
In a great many cases it cannot be de
termined. The female skull rs a rule,
is smaller than the male, and moreover,
the jaws and prominences for muscles
are less developed; consequently the
brain case, though smaller than in man,
is larger i'll proportion to the face.