The Princeton union., 1880-06-24
Skulls and Brains.

u The weight of the brain has often
been held to be the criterion Of the
mind, though, apart from the want Of
confirmation obtained by investigation,
there are various theoretical difficulties.
The brain, whatever other function it
may have, is undoubtedly 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
We know that muscle grows by judi
cious exercise; why, then, should not
the brain, supplying it with the nerve
force necessary for its increased duties,
enlarge p1,'i 4oGssus It may be doubt
full whether we can prove this is SO. 1t
is, I think, certain that we can not
prove that it is not SO. DR.. LeBon, IN
a work to which L shall refer again, has
decided that the height Of a person has
an effect, though d very slight one, on the
size of the brain. He found that the
influence of the weight of the body is
greater, but by 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 45years, the brain
gradually dwindles. Again, may not
some wasting disease preceding death
cause shrinking Of the organ, and may
not other pathological changes increase
its density? All these sources Of error
must make us skeptical as to Individual
results. though, at the same time, we
cannot free ourselves from some share in
the general belief that the weight Of the
&c
The weight of the brains of numbers
Of known men, distinguished and other
wise, has been cited for and against
this theory. Cuvier is usually found
heading the list, with brain weight Of
"a. .33 ounces. (The average for the male
is between 49 and 50.) One is struck
with the apparent propriety that this vast
intellect should have worked through q
heavy brain. Within the last ten years,
however, a laborer has died in En-.
gland whose brain weighed 81 ounces.
Of his history and habits little is
known. Though intelligent for his
rank in life, he apparently gave nc
signs of fitness for a higher one
His most intellectual trait, if I re
member rightly, was his fondnes'
l
the only literature he could OBJ
tain. s5Chill penury" may have ere
pressed his noble rage, if he had any
He may have been 8 mute, ingloriou
Milton" But who knows whether tn
sublime imag ginations of the poet betoke1
remarkable cerebral development? TIL
late James Fisk, Jr., had brain weigh
ing fifty-eight ounces, SURPRISING Dan
iel Webster, Chauncey, Wright, Dupay
tren and q mathematician of the frs
rank. Indeed, all these, except Fisk
4 came after man who from his secont
S year was reckoned an idiot. A cele
brated philologist is below the average
and distinguished mineralogist mucl
below it. In spite Of many exceptions
however, we find distinguished mel
most numerous near the top Of the list
and laborers, criminals and idiots at th
other end of it.
4 Anatomists give very discordant di
rections for determining the sex G
skulls. In q great many cases it canno
be determined. The female skull, as
rule, is smaller than the male, and, more
over, the jaws and prominences 70
muscles are less developed, consequent
4 ly the brain case, though smaller than i
man, is larger in proportion to the face
DR.. LeBon gives some very curiou
statistics concerning the capacities 6
female skulls. There is no questio,
that the differences in skull and brai
between the sexes increase with the de
gree Of civilization: but it is ASTONISHING
that, while the skulls Of male Prussian
are among the largest, those Of th
i women are remarkably small; they az
even smaller than those Of the women {
Polynesia, and but little above those {
the women of New Caledonia This is
fact not easy to account for. Inferno
tio,aaz RevieaD.