Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1888-05-18
THE BRAIN AND NERVES.
The Actions of Frogs Without Brains.
How to Treat Nersous Diseases.

The Actions of Frogs without Brains.
How to Treat Nervous Diseases.
"The Nervous System-How 10 Keep
II in Order" was the subject OF a very
interesting practical talk" to young
men in Association hall the other even
ing. DIR. E. ID. Fisher, VI. D., spoke and
some 1000 men of all ages listened. The
doctor compared the brain to an electric
battery, the gray matter being the zinc
and acid whereby the force is generated,
and the white matter with the spinal
cord being the wires by which the force
is distributed. The human brain is di-
vided by assures into great number Of
convolutions This is not. however, the
case with dogs, pigeons, cars, fish, etc,
who have smooth brains without percepti-
BILE divisions into parts. From this it
follows that the man who has the great
est number Of convolutions u his brain
will be the most intellect lal. This
is still further proved by the fact
that Africans, Asiatics, Indians,
and aboriginal Australians have not so
many convolutions in their brsh as the
Caucasians.
The brain can be removed from the
frog and il will go on living. As one
great medicist has said, Removed from
all 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 he had seen one frog
without "A brain alive six months after
being Drained" When a Drained"
! frog is irritated upon one Of its legs il
instinctyely lifts the other leg up and
tries 10 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 il, would die Of starva-
ton unless some food were put in its
mouth, which, when il reached a certain
/ point. would be swallowed by an entirely
mechanical action. No idea at all is con-
veyed TO the animal without a brain. and
everything is done mechanically and by
means of reflex actions.
II the cerebellum is removed from b
| pigeon he will sit sedately upon his perch
until knocked over, when he will begin
70 swagger around. This staggering is
noticed in connection with a 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 will cause
instant death. The sudden deaths in
many hangings are probably due to an
injury Of the medulla.
Ancient phrenology was a humbug,
but 1t 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
a 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
be injured without any noticeable bad
result to other parts of the body. Wit
ness 1.-THE great iron crowhar case, as il
Is called. A man was injured by crow
L udEs WHICH ldll ltlleltaAtu llle ehuh dliu
the frontal lobe Of the hraiu. 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.
ing 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 10 do with
! !he prevalence Of nervous diseases both
east and west.
The earliest sign Of nervous diseases il
loss Of sleep, Then irritability and
pains in the head are noticeable. Rest as
a medicine is useful above all things.
Nearly every one should sleep ten hour.
q 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 be observed. and exercise in tn,
open air should also be tried. II thes,
, fail then il is time the patient corisultet
a doctor.-New York Sun.