The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-01-23
a Bic Collection Of Brains.

classes and kinds in this country Is the
property Of Or. f. c. spitzka. The top
aoor Of his residence, At 7l2 Lexington
avenue. New York. has been converted
into a light and rel ventilated lgbora-
tory.
Or. spitzka 1as the physician who e2-
amined Suiteao a. 10 his sanity before
his trial and who dissected his brain AZ
ter be was hanged 4 portion of CUR
ieau. brain Is now in his possession.
When Il vas mentioned to Dr. spitzka
that many people still believed Guiteau
10 have been q victim Of insanity, be
stated that insanity wa impossible in
Guiteau's case, and was proved a~flerEards
bv disseeting his brain. By way Of
aemonstrai on Dr. Spitzka exhibited a
c5ufae OF malfonnee brains. The drst
one Is that Of an insane person who was
hanged for murder, the 0iher isihe brain
Of a Young girl who witnessed a railroad
accident at White Plains some years ago,
IN which her mother was run over and
killed by the cans. The shock unbal-
anccd her mind and she was insane un-
III death came to her relief. Both of
these brains are lopsided or crooked
one side Of each is enlarged and the
spinal cord is seemingly misplaced. The
brain being unbalanced the mind ofeach
was unbalanced IN proportion. Guiteau's
brain had no such defects and was in a
healthy condifion-not a single trace of
insanity was found.
The brain Of the late lamented Mr..
Crowley Of Central Park, is in a harden
ing preparation at present. Il will be
put through three or four other solutions
after being taken from this one, and
when sufficiently hard viii be sliced and
put between sheets Of glass. Afterwards
the glass will be stained and made trans
parent. Nady for microscopic use. DR..
Spiizka has about thirty thousand speci-
mems for microscopic use that have been
hardened and prepared in this amer.
The monstrous brain OF the elephant that
was shot at the Park for v~iciousness some
time ago is here. Next to the whale the
elephant has the largest known brain.
A noticeable feature about the brain Of
the elephant is the comparative enlarge
ment Of the c~onvultions which controll-
ed the motion Of the trunk, and which
in man enables him to turn up his nose.
Singular things are sometimes left by
dying friends 10 those who remain to
mourn them. A well-known and cele-
bra.ed physicians who did a sho<t time
ago willed to DR.. Spitzka his brain. The
doctor reverently looked at the brain Of
his brother physician as he spoke OF
this strange bequest. A companion
brain 10 this is that Of a former New
York Assemblyman. There is consider
able difference in The construction Of
these brains, that Of the physician being
The more finely eonyoluted. 4 row Of.
glass jars contains brains Of different
animals, from the lowest orders to those
Of the c~himpanzee, which ranks next to
man. These jars are placed on 4 marble
shelf "a one side o. the laboratory, a8d
are in systematic order according TO the
intelligence Of the animal whose brsias
each contains. Snakes tiny brains. ALI
gators brains without regard for the
size Of is mouth, nature has endowed
the alligator With an exceedingly small
brain armadillos' brains, sea lions, dol
phins. whales, hyenas, lions, tigers. leop-
ards, bear, ciyet cats, ~chimpanzees, our
a-ng-outangs, and various other speci-
mems OF the monkey tribe, even down
10 the midget, have their intelligent
standing record here. One noticeable
thing about this arrangement is that the
part Of the brain which contains the
sense Of smelling IS highly developed in
the lowest orders, gradually decreasing
As intelligence increases, and in man is
scarcely ~preceptihle. The brain Of wo-
men stands at the head, being heavier
Than that Of man. However, a wom-
ans brain has less power Of application
The brain Of the negro is OF an inferior
type.
Among the microscopic collection vas
a specimen Of the brain Of woman who
had died of alcoholism. Alcohol had
been used by her to such an extent that
the fine white coating which surrounds
the little nerve ftres-as a wire is saved
from ust by silk windings-had been
eaten away by the liquor. The tender
nerves. left without protection, had be-
come diseased. Her viii power became
impaired. Unable to control her appe-
lite she finally became unable 70 control
her movements. Her eve muscles be-
came paralyzed. Thus she was confined
TO her bed until she died. some few weeks
later. The microscope distinctly reveals
the places where the delicate white tissues
were eaten away by the alcohol, the ex-
posed nerve fbres and the rayages Of
the disease which followed. In speak
ing OF this lost power Of motion, DIR.
Spitzka mentioned an experiment that
was tried on a newborn kitten. Its
skull was opened, and that part of the
brain which controls the motions Of the
body was destroyed. The head wasthen
closed up. The kitten lived three months
and died. Upon d~issectingit il. it was found
that ali traces of nerves which had any
thing to do with the motion Of the body
had entirely disappeared. The appear
ance was as ifthey had never existed.
Pr. Spitzka also has the finest known
collection Of twin salmon. They are the
resalt Of natures effort 10 split a single
egg. In the case Of double-headed or
doGbletailed chickens It is the result Of
a double yolk in the egg. These cases
are comparatively common. But in the
salmon the process is different. The
nucleus At the side Of the tiny yolk, out
OF which the little fish is formed, is BY
an effort Of nature to divide it broken
apart. but not entirely. From these bro
ken fragments issue the double OF twin
salmons. Two heads With a single tail,
and sometimes a single head and two
tails, are the result Of natures partial
success. Occasionally two distinct and
perfectly formed salmon succeed n
e~saanating from a single egg, joined to-
refher only bg the volk. One rare speci-