The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-02-12
EDITOR OF THE TELEGRAPH :

Editor OF THE TELEGRAPH
Asan article upon "Ambidexterity'
appeared few weeks since, in your
paper, may / ask space for the follow
ing reply, from skilled physician, to an
inquiry upon the subject.
" Mrs. DUNNING-Sone time since
YOU asked my opinion regarding the
physiological advantage of training
of the left hand and whether such
training would have a tendency to
strengthen the usually weaker organs Of
the left side.
= From experiments and observations
made ia cerebral OSCILLATIONS, the de-
.ducti0ns to be drawn therefrom are,
think, most decidedly in favor of such
view. In supporting this, will quote,
at length, from a lecture touching upon
this subject by DR.. Richard Hughes, in
whichhe says, "Let us 60 back to our
original instance Of localization in the
power ofspeech, and its dependence on
the integrity Of the posterior extremity
Of Broea's convolution--the third or in
ferior frontal, What have our expert.
ments In electriaation Of the cortex
taught us about it? Why, this, that
stimulation of its immediate neighb or
hood excites the movements of articula-
ton. Now, if we viii think about it, we
learn to a1ticulate before we attach any
meaning to words. The baby is taught
to say, Papa" first of all, end then to
connect the sound with the gigantic be-
ing in coat and trousers whom it in-
dividualises so little that for some time
to come it will address every male adult
by the name. BY degrees, as its educa-
ton proceeds, We may conceive two
processes as going on in its sensitive and
plastic brain. An organic nexus is be-
ing formed there between sights, tastes
and other sensations, and the sounds
used to express the objects arnusing
them and, further, each act of articula-
ton is impressing on the cells which
originate it a material memory, rs it
We're. which after a time is revivable ct
will, or on excitement. Speech, then
the power of retaining and recollecting
words, and associating them with ideas
lis the subjective side of articulation.
Let the center at which the movements
requisite for the latter to become organic
ed be damaged, and the faculty itself
is lost. There is no store for recollec.
ti0nto draw upon, no eKcitable spot at
which the process Of retention can be
The associations with
words remain when these are supplied !;
or the sensitized plates of the photog-
papher receive them forever, and recall
them in ideas and emotions. And now
we can see why it is on the left side Of
the brain that the faculty of speech
comes to be seated. 1t is so because it
is the result of the muscular actions of
articulation. We have seen these to be
performed bilaterally, though the excita-
ton has been given to one hemisphere
only; Potentially, therefore, the inn
pulse to speech might have proceeded
from either side, and been organized
there accordingly but, actually, that
education of the right side which We are
taught to practice from our early days
SO develops the left half of the brain
that the other lies comparatively idle.
We know how difficult it is when right
hemiplegia has occurred to get the left
hand to execute the required move.
ments, as in writing. For those, yet
more delicate and complex, involved In
speech, the task Ii SO hard as to be i'm
practicable, at any rate, at first. There
are cases on record, however, in which,
though the paralysis persisted, the pow
Yerof speaking gradually returned /; and
here we may fairly conceive the right
speech center Dis taking up the duty.
IS A concise test of the soundness this
explanation would be- afforded by the
behavior OF man naturally left-handed
when affected with hemiplegia, for, with
him apharia should accompany it only
VIII en- on the lef. Ferrier can refer to
three cases in which this coincidence
has been observed. And perhaps the
practical inference is that which our de-
ceased English novelist, Charles Reade,
labored so much to impress, that we
should all endeavOr to be ambidextrous,
Besides the advantages he urged, we
should, If ever the misfortune of par.
alytic stroke came upon us. have an
arm and hand already educated to dc
our necessary work and, on whichevei
side it fell, we should preserve oul
speech unimpaired.
| Without doubt this subject will be
more fully eliminated in the near future
sosthat the views you entertain will b
more generally recognized and put int
practice.
Truly yours,