The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-04-17
THE BRAIN ANO NERVES.
The Actions Of frogs without "r"'"@'
How TO Treat Nervous Diseases


II in Order" was the subject Of very
interesting practical talk to young
men in Association hall the other even,
ing. DR.. T.. D. Fisher, VI. d., spoke ana
some /. 600 men If all ages listened. The
doctor compared the brain to an electro
battery. the gray matter being the zinc
and acid whereby the force Is generated,
and the white matter with the splhai
cord being the wires by which the force
is distributed. The human brain u Ill
vided By assures into great number OF
convolutions. This is not, however, the
case with dogs, pigeons, cats, iish, etc,
who have smooth brains without percepti-
be divisions into parts FROM TINS IL
follows that the man who has the great
81 number Of convolutions IN his BRAIN
viii a. the most intellectual This
j, still further proved by the fact
Ina. Africans, Asiatics, Indians
an2 aboriginal Australians have not 50
many convolutions In their brain IS the
Cancasians.
The brain can be removed from the
frog and il will go on living. y one
great modest has said, Removed from
an worry and wear and tear, there IS
really no reason. if taken care OF, why
such frog should not live forever The
doctor himself said h. had seen one frog
without a brain alive six months after
being Drained" When Drained
frog il irritatel upon one Of its LEGS It
instinctiyely lifts the other leg up and
tries to scratch off the irritation. But
let this same frog be put in bowl OF
water which is slowly heated; the ami
NAL will remain in the boiling water until
life is extinct. evidently not feeling the
heat at all. This same frog with food
placed all around 1t, would die OF starva-
ton unless some food were put III It's
mouth, which, when it reached a certain
point, would be swallowed by an entirely
mechanical action No idea at all IS con-
veyed to the animal without q brain, aud
everything ia done mechanically and 10y
means Of reflex actions.
II the cercbellum Is removed from a
pigeon he will sit sedately upon his perch
until knocked over, when he will begin
TO swagger around. This staggering Is
noticed in connection with q number OF
brain diseases.
The medulla oblongata IS situated In
the neck, and IS a collection Of nerve
cells which control the breathing, the
motion Of the heart and the size Of the
arteries. Injury to this organ viii cause
instant death. The sudden deaths IN
many hanging9 are probably due to an
injury Of the medulla.
Ancient phrenology was a humbug,
but It is now known positively that GER
tain parts Of the brain control certain
portions Of the body. An injury TO the
right side of the brain, as a rule. causes
u Corresponding paralysis Of the left side
Of the body or the member over which
the injured portion Of the brain has con
troll. Certain portions Of the brain can
te injured without any noticeable bad
result to other parts Of the body. Wit
ness The great iron crowbar case "a Il
is called \ man was injured by a crow
bar, which had penetrated the skull and
the frontal lobe Of the brain. The pa
tient finally recovered. When the poste-
rior portion OF the brain is injured seri-
Gus results follow.
The doctor stated that We have at this
time greater number OF persons suffer
inc from nervous diseases than at any
other time in the history Of the country.
As modern civilization, with its press Of
business rivalry, advances, the nervous
patients increase. But nervous cases are
also found away in the backwoods. The
climate, probably, has much to do with
the prevalence OF nervous diseases both
east and west
The earliest sign of nervous diseases IS
a loss Of sleep. Then iTitabllity and
pains in the head are noticeable. Rest as
a medicine is useful above all things.
Nearly every one should sleep ten hours
a day, the doctor thought although there
are persons who can get along with eight
hours without any apparent injurious
effect Regularity in eating should al
ways bo observed. and exercise IN the
open air should also be tried. II these
fail then it is time the patient consulted
a doctor New York Sun.