Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-03-01

n
tor Mosso, of Turin, which measures
thought. It Is called the plethysmogrSph,
and its revelations are based on the fact
that thought creates nervous action,
which consumes in its performance a
certain quantity OF blood, and that
ouantity may be measured. In an ad-
dress before the American Association
of Science, Professor G. +. Barker de-
cribes the machine and its working as
follows:
The forearm, for example, being the
organ to be experimental on. is placed
in cylinder OF water, and tightly in
closed. A rubb tube connects the in
terror of the cylinder with the recording
apparatus. With the electric circuit by
which the stimulus was applied to pro-
duce contraction were two keys. one OF
which was n dummy. Il was noticed
that, after using the active key several
times. producing varying current
siren eths. the curve sank as before on
pressing down the inactive key. Since
no real effect was produced, the result
was caused solely ~ the imagination,
blool passing from Tue body 10 The brain
in the act.
To test further the eject Of ments.
action Doctor Pagliani, whose arm was
in the apparatus, was requested Ia mu.-
,iply two hundred and sixty seven by
eight mentally, and TO make p sign when
he had finished. The recorded curve
showed vtry distinctly how much more
blood the brain took 10 perform the
operation. Hence the plothy ysmograph
is capable OF measuring the relative
amount OF mental power required By
different persons 10 work out the same
mental problem. Indeei, Mr.. Gaskei
suggests the use OF this instrument in
the examination room. 10 find out, in
addition 10 the amount OF know Wedge n
man possesses, how much effort it
causes him 10 produce any particular
result Of brain work.
Doctor Mosso relates that, while the
apparatus was set up in his room In
Turin, classical man came in
TO see him. He looked very con-
temptuously upon 1t. and asked OF what
use it could be, saying thas it couldn't
do anybody any good.
Doctor Mosso replied: We'll, low
can tell you by that whether you read
Greek as easily as yUu can Latin"
AstIe c!assicist would not believe ii,
his own arm was put into the apparatus,
and he was given a Latin book 10 read.
Avery slight sinking OF the curve was
the result.
The Latin book was then taken away.
and Greek book was given to him.
This produced Immediately much
deeper curve.
He lad asserted before that il WAS
quite rs easy Tor him TO read Greek as
l.stin. and that there was no difficulty
in doing either. Doctor Mosso, how
ever. was able 10 show him that he was
laboring under delusion.
Again, this apparatus is so sensitive
dS W Dc ustiuA IOl HsN'l lshiHthk INV
much person is dreaming. When
Doctor Pagliani went TO sep in the APP
paratus, the eject upon the resulting
curve was very marked indeed. He said
afterward ,ha, he had been in sound
sleep, and remembered nothing Of what
passed IN the room-that lie had been
absolutely unconscious; and yet, every
lille movement in the room, such as
the slamming OF a door. the arking of
dog. and even the knocking down OF a
piece of glass were all marked on the
curves. Sometimes he moved his lips,
and gave other evidences that he was
dreaming. They were all recorded On
The curve. the amount of blood required
for dreaming diminishing that in the
sxtremities