The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1891-06-04
Uranium CULTURE
AN EXTENSIVE FIELD FOR SclEN-
TlFlC EXPERIMENTS.

An Odd Surgical Operation Causes to
Arise tho Question, rs idiocy Durable
by Surrer,P''-A Physicians Comment
on the SubIect-Future Research.
How many Shakespeare have We
lost by skull pinching? How many
Platos have gone down to the grave as
non compos mentis2 Can idiocy be
wholly abolished?' Thus asks "A some
what prominent medical authority and
newspaper writer.
The world of possibilities in the above
suggestion is the outgrowth of a recent
surgical operation performed in London
on the skull of an idiot child for the pur-
pose of releasing the brain from the con-
fnement of malformed bone case. The
experiment was entirely successful. The
subject Immediately began to develop
a frightened intellect. while evil effects
upon the nervous system were practically
unuotieed
The problem presented by this result
is very wide and a very complex one.
If the darkness OF idiocy in few cases
can be banshcd by lifting the brain
covering. thus permitting the brains ex-
pansion to the limits which nature
doubtless intended, why may it not
prove effective in the great majority of
cascs Of young children now doomed to
live ont their lives III eternal gloom?
To those who delight to wander in the
realms Of the fanciful, and trace still
greater effects and results from similar
-. ! 4
to say that the conformation of the skull
Is. after all, the incident which deter
mines whether "a human being is born
to he n Nero or King Arthur. Cleo
patra or Florence Nightingale, Napo-
leon or a nobody.
CULTURE OF TIE SKULL
There was case in a Philadelphia
hospital not many months ago which
was not dissiinilar to the one in London.
An epileptic was relieved, perhaps re-
stored to perfect health, by an operation
which lifted the bone pressure upon Ger
tain nerve centers in the brain Ger
tainy there are mental idiosyncrasies
inherited for generations where the brain
ease varies most remarkably in form.
But when we find peculiar trait sud
denly bursting out in one of our chil-
drcn, a trait unlike parent or gran1par-
ent, are we quite sure that it Is not ow-
ing to some modification Of the skull
case? Most assuredly, If it is finally de-
termined that the pressure of bone on
the brain determines the mental ability,
shapes the character and molds the ten
denotes we shall have to rccast all our
theories Of hcrcdity
Here, then, Is presented a new problem
Is not the question of brain culture
about to become to a tsreater extent a
question Of Uranium culture: If it can
be demonstrated that an idiot can he
made by Pinching a skull, and unmade
by the knife and saw of Il sturgeon, have
we not IA new and wonderful field of ex
pertinent before Us? DR. Briuton tells
lis that experiments on the lower ami
mails prove that the skull is easily mold
ed by trilling causes. that is, in the
earlier Stages of growth. Darwin found
that he could produce long or short or
non symmetrical skulls i'll rabbits by
training
Ethnologists affirm that the skull is
modified even by the cradle and the pill
lows ON which the infant sleeps DIR
Jarald proves from his own observation
that the skull may he modified from the
head being held in an unnatural posi-
tion
POSSIBILITIES OF THE FUTURE.
If tins new line Of Investigation can
b. pursued mr-istutlY and successfully
II viii result IN di,pfoging the belief
that Idlocy IN chiirn. outside of cases
of hcrcdituy mental defect, is vista
ton upon the children for the sins of the
fathers, and showing that it is an un
natural Int essentially durable physical
condition The ability to cure idiocy
will therefore depend entirely to what
extent the hony c;tr has CLOSED its sutures
and hardened tsel. to the brain.
Or Maurice, the authority quoted nj
the beginning of this article. in discuss
ing this range OF subjects, Il few OF
which are embraced in the above. closes
by saying;
The world has Of late grown cnor
mously in its tendencies toward the pres
eryation and merciful care of the mai
formed and helpless. Civilization has
badly overloaded itself by merciful ten
derncss toward criminals and diseased
Are we at last to find relief by discover
ing that crime and disease and idiocy
are all durable? And the next stage.
what will that be- Possibly the marked
decrease in human fertility and the in
crease of our average life quite beyond
what now seems possible The removal
of life's social tertorS must precede the
largely prolonged and happily continued
existence Philadelphia Press
No,.y t,an.i.,. "a, IFnyI.na