Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-12-13
NERVE DEVELOPMENT.
BAby's Body Is 2 HT0chfne Capable of Ad
 vantagoous Application.

Baby's Body Is AIach'ne Capable of Ad-
 vantagoous Application.
 Only recently have we known any thing about what was going on unde, the baby's skin, writes correspondent of Nightingale. Only within the last few years has the science of paediatrics arisen. Formerly the baby was dosed just like his elder, and if he lived we'll and good; if not, the will of the Lord be done! The fact that reactions to dis ease and to drugs in the young organism vary from those of the same disease in the adult had received no recognition Even the sick baby was not understood and much less the we'll one. Science has now, however, awakened to the fact that the baby is not completely devel oped when it is born. Dr. Brown calls our attention to the fact that the new born baby is blind, and not only blind but deaf. We know that the baby is born with aimless motions and that true intention is rather a late development Yet the baby has very perfect little muscles. The little hand Is complete. every muscle is there with it's glistening tendon, it's blood vessels and nerves. ready for use. The failure does not ap- parently lie in the hand itself. It is | rather 70 be accounted for by the fact that many at least of these nerves have no continuation beyond the spinal cord. Hence, while they can serve for reflex motions they lack any complete connection with the brain What now happens is the shooting down from the part of the brain dele gated for the control of these muscles of | a transparent thread-ike fiber, or bun | dies of fbers, to join or at least to com municate with these nerves which have terminated In the cord. Even with the completion of the tract, however, the line is not open for communication. It is still in the condition of an uninsulated telegraph wire. Impulses will be de- hected all along the line. This Is the condition of much of the nervous sys- tenn of the child at birth. It is almost, but not quite, ready for use. Gradually the transparent nerve strands now be- come white by the addition of a fatty material called myeline, which forms a protecting sheath when the nerve is steady for conduction.
 It is curious fact that this develop ment waits for the stimulus of need. Not until the light strikes the retina of the eye do we have a completion of the sight mechanism. The same is true of sound, touch and muscular control. It Is probably true that as adults we have not the mechanism for actions which we have never tried. There Is hence a truth in the complaint "I can't do this or that" There is also, however, truth in in the rejoinder "You can if you try With the intention new tracts develop or the old mechanism becomes endowed with new powers.
 A little more thought given to the management of the body might result ir it's benefit. The body is a machine capa ble of advantageous application or the reverse.
 new TIAothy GrAss Was Named.
 Timothy or herd grass is the most common grass of Continental Europe growing wild throughout all that vast region between the Mediterranean ses on the south and the North sea In the direction the name implies. It is moi known exactly when 1t was first intro duced into the United States, but this much is known: It takes the nama from Timothy Hanson, farmer oi Maryland, who brought it under gen eral notice as !. hay grass after he had cultivated it extensively for his use fol years. It Is curious fact that al though it's native home is in Europe the United States is the first country In which it was grown, cut and cured Cor hay.-American Gardener.