The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-15
Functions OF the Brain.
Nineteenth Century.J

One of the most suggestive results of
recent researches has been to show that
the faculty Of intelligent language, as
distinguished from simply articulate
speech, is situated in that portion of the
hemispheres which is called the third
left frontal convolution, and its immedi-
ate neighborhood.
We have already seen that the pronun-'
ciation of letters and words is effected in
the lowest portion of the brain, viz, the
medulla; but this and all inferior organs
concerned in speaking form only, as it
were, the instrument on which that small
portion of the brains surface which |
have just named is habitually playing.
Lower centers are able to hear spoken
words and to see written words; but the
intelligent appreciation of the connection
which exists between words and ideas,
and the faculty of expressing thoughts in
sentences-th is, what the Greeks called
logos-only reside in the third left 'front.'
al convolution.
This discovery was foreshadowed by
Gall, but actually made by Broca, who
likewise found that the left hemisphere
is altogether more important for intel
lectual manifestations than the right, and
is chiefly trained for talking as well as
for most of the finer kinds of work
which we have to perform in daily
life. This appears to be owing to
the following circumstances: The
left hemisphere is originally heavier than
the right; the convolutions are more
abundantly developed in the left; and,
finally, the left is more abundantly pro-
vided with blood on account of the cali
Der of the blood-vessels which supply it.
Most people, therefore, train chiefly the
left hemisphere for talking, writing,
&C.; they are left-brained as they are
right-handed. A preponderance of the
right over the left hemisphere, on the
other hand, seems, according to the most
recent researches, to be characteristic of
certain forms of insanity. Physiolog-
ical experiments on animals
point to the convolution
have Just named as being concerned in
language; ;for when electricity is applied
to the part in the living monkey or rab.
bit, the animal opens its mouth, and
alternately protrudes and retracts the
tongue. But far more convincing proofs
have been furnished by numerous cases
of diseases in which there was loss Of
language during life, and where, after
death, lesion limited to the part just
named was discovered.
A boy, aged S, who was great chat
terbox, fell out of the window and in
iured the left frontal bone, which was
found depressed. There was no paraly
sis, but the boy had entirely lost his Ian
guage. The wound healed in twenty-five
days; but the child, although intelligent
remained dumb. A year afterward ht
was accidentally drowned, and at thu
autopsy it was found that the third lef
, frontal convolution had been destroyed
by the injury he had received.
A man fell with his horse, but got up,
took hold of the reins, and was going to
lump into the saddle, when doctor who
happened to accompany him expressed
the wish to make an examination. Il
was then found that he could not speak
but had to make himself understood by
pantomime. A small wound in the left
Side of the forehead was found, with
depression Of bone, but there was nc
paralysis. 1g. ;. j,
Inflammation set in, the patient died
and at the post mortem examination i
was found that fragment Of bone hat
. penetrated into the third left fronta
, conyolution, which had become soft
ened. Talking, writing, drawing &c.
are habitually done by the left hemis
phere alone, while both hemisphere
have to be trained for musical perform
ances.
Pianists educate them both equally
while violinists and violincello-player
have to train them dissimilarly; and thl
is probably the reason why 1t require