The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-18
THE CAUSE OF SCIENCE.
Groat Mems Brains to Be Given
to It's Furthorance.'
Some of tho Leading Divifcs, Scientists,
Politicians and Public Men viii
Donate Their Mental
Mechanism.

This is the startling question that has
been propoundcd to hundreds of prom
| inent men in every walk of life within
the last few days. The request comes
in the form of u confidential circular is
sued by society newly organized for
the purpose of more advanced inycsti-
cation of mental phenomena rs shown
by brain formation and development,
and its relation to health and disease,
intellect and ignorance, morality and
crime, says the New York Continent.
The leading brain specialties of the
country have for long time desired
that it should be the general custom for
the brains of men and women who be.
come i'll any way famous during life to
DC dissectcd and examined and the re-
suits put on record. But it was not UNI
til lately that they have seen their way
clear to bringing this about Now they
hope to make the custom general
through the medium of the special So
ciety which is being organized
The members of the society agree to
allow an autopsy to be performed after
their deaths, They give full permits
sion to the specialists to preserve and
handle their brains in any way they
please and to record thcr observations
The specialists find no difficulty in get
ting the brains of mon and women of
average and low-grade intelligence, and
already many startling discoveries have
been made ~ systematic examination
of brains of that class.
Naturally, famous pcopH place IL
higher value on their brains than do
others The thought OF dissection is
more repugnant to people the higher
their intelligence Hence, when the
specialists sent letters to number of
wcll-known men, asking if they would
allow their bruins to be examined if
others would IN any great number, the
responses received were unexpectedly
hearty. The formation of a society
was undertaken at once The society
already has a long list OK men and wo1n-
en- who have given their consent, and
is waiting to hear from several hun
drcd others in this country and abroad
The list will not be made public 1t is
known, however, that Phillip Brooks is
one clergyman on the list, while Chaun-
cey NJ. Depew, james G.. Blaine Dr.. T.
Heber Newton and others are among
those who have received requests from
the society.
The readiness of famous people to ac-
ccde to the socicty's request is portly
explained by the high character of the
specialists. DR.. L. G. Spitzlsa, the noted
writer on insanity and diseases Of the
brain and spinal cord, is a member of
the committee having the society in
charge. Associated with him are Dr.
Harrison Allen, DR.. +. y. Dcrcum and
DR.. Joseph Lcidy of Philadelphia, DR..
William Oslcr of Johns Hopkins uni
vcrsity, and DIR. G. Il. Wilder, of Cornell
university. DIR. Lcidy has bccn elected
president of the society, and DR.. Will
lam Pepper, an intimate friend of Dr..
Spitzka and associated with him in
much of his work, is secretary. The
society will be known as the Society Tor
the Examination of Brain.
The doctors are not prurupcd IN their
work by mere curiosity. Their object
is strictly scientific, The work will he
divided up, each member taking par
ticular portion OF the brain DR. Spit2ka
will probably give his attention to the
connection of the brain with the spinal
cord. Others will study its relations TO
the body. The theory that defect in
the brain will prove corresponding
detect in the body will be tested Tive
value of this theory will be incalcula-
bic, as it will largely aid in determin-
ing the causes of sudden or violent
deaths. The brains of all grcut men
and women are irreSularly formed, 1T
tie hills and valleys showing themselves
on the surface. These Irregularities
are to be studied much us phrenologist
studies bumps. The relation of the ir-
reSularitieS to the intellectual traits of
the subject are To be determined Then,
by Il long system of comparison between
the brains of different subjects, many
interesting conclusions erv expected to
be arrived mt,
1t may even happen that man who
during life thought himself n Very Won
dcrful and distinguished person will be
found at death, by the unmistakable cvi-
dcncc Of his brain, to be man of but
mediocre talent But this is IL contin-
gcncy that the doctors Go net care to
talk about.
DR.. +. G. SpttzlHa says: "Tlle move
mcnt is international in character
There are perhaps twenty men in the
United States, ten or fifteen in England,
thirty in France and twenty or thirty in
Germany and Scandinavia, especially
interested in the pathology and physiol-
ogy of mental and nervous diseases 1t
Is proposed that these shall unite for
the purpose of systcmatizing and inter
changing records of the results of our
Investigations OF course, it is very de-
sirablc for us TO secure the brains cd
men Of emincnce. Many like Gam
BETA willingly provided that their
brains should be at the disposal of sci.
cnce after their DEATH"