Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1885-02-21
THE BRAIN.

This article (writes Bill Nye 10 the san
Francisco Argonaut), is designed more es-
pecialy for those vertebrates who are able
to keep and use their own brains. 1t is not
intended for the perusal of those who sim
ply have O gangion or nerve centre which
they are using temporarily until they can
afford brain.
Man is more highly endowed with brain
than any other animal. Still. nearly all
animal creation has trace of this organ
decreasing, of course, in intensity down
ward from man TO the lower mammals, birds,
reptiles, batrachia and fishes, till finally all
traces of the brain disappear in the amply
oxus and dude.
The elephant has the heaviest brain of
| any animal. 1t often weighs as high as nine
! or ten pounds. The whale comes next, with
| brain that weighs. perhaps, five pounds
So great mental strength is the result Of
quality more than quantity in the matter OF
brain tissue.
The brain of an adult man weighs, on an
average, forty-eight ounces, while that OF
the average adult woman weighs forty -four
ounces, and yet woman is far superior to
man mentally. have obtained this infor-
nation from q lady friend of mine who Is
| thoroughly trustworthy.
Uc DTdlu Is cuCiCScu Ill u SpiSAS
called the skull The bony envelope is air.
tight. The brain does not have to be aired
if it is in normal condition. II should be
kept inside the skull constantly, and in as
compact form as possible, for when IL is
otherwise great Inconvenience may cnsue.
The parts of the encaphaion, we are told,
are the cerebrum, cerebellum, medula, OBJ
longata, pons varolii, obligato, pianissimo.
ANY one would think that u brain with ali
| these things in it would not feel well, but
such is not the case. The brain has been
found, upon microscopic examination after
death, to contain not only the foreign MI
crobes and things above, bus also Il clGerl-
tious substance, cranial nerves, motor occu-
Ii, corpus coliseum, corpora STRATA, thalml,
tubercula quadregemina, staccato, arbor
vitp, crura cerebi and other foreign sub
stances, which must have made life Il bur-
| den; and vet death did not result for many
years.
Nothing, however, is so destructive 10
| brain tissue as daylight? Many have
died almost instantly after light and fresh
air were freely admitted into the brain.
| Tho brain is one of the most useful OF all
our organs, and, therefore, we should
use every precaution to retain 1T: Tor,
| like the self cooking revolver, man niay
struggle along for years without having
occasion to use it, and yet when ha does
want to use it he wants it very much. We
might get along in society for a lors time
without being called upon for any mental
demonstration, but some day. without any
notice whatever, we might be requested by
our host TO express an idea, and VIC would
feel very much cut up to admit that we had
| left our thinker at home on the piano.
| pbyu;niopc uho have peypr hal much
experience with the brain, never having
had a case of it in their own families nor
studied its habits in other people, frequent
ly make an erroneous diagnosis where q
patient is suffering from brain trouble. |
once knew young doctor, who has since
resigned his lucrative practice in order to
accept highly responsible position as
chambermaid in livery stable, to make 8
mistake OF that kind. The patient was Il
German, who was unconscious 1T the time
the doctor was called. The latter felt the
pulse, examined the tongue, wrote out three
prescriptions Oh different drug stores for
medicine TO encourage zeal on the part OF
the liver, and went away.
The Coroner was no expert in cases OF
that kind, but he went at it on the theory
that the brain had been affected, and traced
up the symptoms till he showed the jury
| that it was case OF quick coupling pm on
the brain. 1t seems that the patient had
been exposed ut saloon on A street, and
this was followed in quick succession by a
coma, semi mi-colon and full stop.
We should take great care of our brain if
We intend to use it. 1t is very sensitive
organ, and is easily affected by external
influences Very little, after all, is known
of the location Of various prenologlcal or
pans of the brain. The relation between
| thought and the material organ which we
| call the braiu is little misty yet. 1t is
not for poor, short-lived and puny man to
know everything. The brain, however, is
a curious organ. 1t is good thing in its
place, but entirely useless when removed
from the party to whom it belongs. We
should not overwork the brain or strain it
in trying to think of hard words that no
one else knows the meaning of. Neither
should we try to preserve our brain in
alcohol during Office hours. Alcohol and
gray matter are always antagonistic. Let
US take good care of our brains and not
wear them out trying to impart formation
to those who do not seek it. Another thing
that we should remember is that the brain
weighs about twenty times as much as the
tongue, and, there is no physiological law
which will require US to tell all We know.
The Doctor Doctoring.