The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-11-11
THE HUMAN TELEGRAPH.

THE HUMAN TELEGRAPH.
The Wonderful Telegraphic System In the
Human SkulI-Haw Badly IL Works
when the Wires Are Down or Out of
Repair.
Recent Investigations into the intrica-
cies of the mind and brain have q realis-
tic or mechanical tendency. The brain
is treated like vast and complicated
telegraph system in populous COM
munity, with various centers>of informa-
ton and intelligence, communicating
and intercommunicating their news and
wants, sending messages hither and
thither along the nerves, and having
their business done at the very extremi-
ties of the bodily continent-at the capes
Horn and Good Hope represented by the
feet, at the highly organized island ma
ions like England and Japan, to which
one may hken the hends and fingers.
But all this is so mysterious and hidden
that its regular operations cannot be de-
tected.
1t is only when the telegraph wires
break down, or the Atlantic cable ceases
working, or the railroad tracks are
blocked with the snow, that we fully
realize the necessity all these inventions
are to our civilization. And SO it is only
when some portions of the apparatus
called the brain is diseased that it is pos
sible to discover the relations of the parts
to one and another and to the whole
Even then it is largely conjectural, and
the conclusions of some scientists are dis
puted by others; but still there has been
something discovered, and the observa-
tions in regard to the organism of that
part 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 perception;
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 he 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 momentary forgetfulness of words or
names, with power of recovery after a
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 yet I know very well," he
said, "what it is, but I can't recollect. -
When told that it was nightcap: "Ohl
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 at once recognize the
words, but two minutes afterward he was
as helpless as before.
AT LOSS FOR A WORD.
Many persons in perfect health are
often at loss for word, but in 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 q stroke of par
alysis, resulting in painful hesitation O
speech, which, however, was confined tt
nouns and proper names. He could
moreover, recollect the first letter o
every word he wanted to use, but coulc
not recollect the word itself. So he mad
a list of words he was most in the hab1
of using. and put them down on q piec
of paper in alphabetical form, includin!
the names of his family, his servants
and acquaintances. This he kept con
veniently in his pocket. If he wished t
ask anything about COW, he would turl
to the letter g, and finding the wor
'cow" would keep his finger upon
until he had finished his sentence an
introduced the word So long as he ma
his eyes fixed upon the written letters h
could pronouce the word "cow" at th
proper place. but the moment he shU
up his book it passed out of his memor
and ,could not be recalled, although b
still recollected the initial and could &c
at the word by turning to his book. A
name or those of his acquaintances, h
never was at loss for the initial of til
, word he wished to use.
. UNABLE TO SPEAK.
The telegraph communicating I'll
D word from the ear or eye to the wore
: center may be in working order, whe
1 the line between this word-center an
the organ or center of speech is ''down
!. In this case persons are entirely able
: comprehend what is said to them, bu
unless by some accident or event III
: under their control, they cannot p1
their thoughts into speech.
s Many years ago a French artille
It officer, who had suffered from q strol
|; of palsy, recovered the use of his han
:; and feet He was able to speak distinct
o words which he made no effort to spea
e or which were slowly and loudly repeat'
e to him. But when he tried to spea
t. only an uninteligible murmer was hear
IS He could read aloud from book or 2
. per without the slightest impedimer
is but if the book or paper was taken ava
n he could not repeat single word of VIII
'e he had so distinctly read a moment
foro Tn fbia ooao II 10 tn ha r1rosTm