The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-02-20


EDITOR HERALD:-I have been
asked several times for an opinion
as TO the phenomena connected with
Mr.. Harris's amputated hands. L
therefore offer this:
LIST. The pain that Mr.. Harris eX-
perienced and supposed to be IN MS
fingers, was in reality the result of
some irritation of the nerves which
before the amputation led TO, and
terminated in, these fingers. have
never seen a Physiology that taught
what Mr.. Tmmons says they all
teach, but they do teach, and the
medical world. l believe sanctions
the teaching, that "when any nerve
brings to the brain news of an injury,
the mind refers the pain 10 the end OF
the nerve.r (The quotation is from
Steee's Physiology A familiar in
stance is noticed if the funny bone"
at the elbow be struck. The UtldT
nerve, which is affected by the stroke,
terminates in the third and fourth
fingers and the pain seems TO be IN
these fingers. An eminent authority
SAYS "only about five per cent OF those
who suffer amputation lose the feel
ing of the part taken away. When
the current of battery Is applied
to the nerves of an arm stump the
irritation is carried to the brain ana
referred to all regions OF the lost limb.
A mans shoulder was electrified three
inches above the Joint where the
arm was cut off. For two years he
had ceased to be conscious OF the lost
limb. AS the current passed through
the man, ignorant of its possible
effects, started up, crying, ION, the
hand!u and tried to sieze 1t with Bile
living grasp of the sound fingers.
I'm this case the buried limb had
probably decayed at any rate, II 10
plain that the result would have been
the same, regardless OF the condltlon
OF this buried member. 1t could not
be due then, as Mr.. Timmons says, to
any sympathy that the buried MEM
Der has for the living body.
Without multiplying these in
stances, | conclude that Mr. Harris's
pain was not caused by the cramped
condition of his buried fingers, but by
irritation of the nerves in the stump
from which the hand had been taRen.
His relief came not because the hands
were disinterred and Strengthened,
but because the irritation ceased. He
would have experienced the same re-
lief without Mr.. Timmon's visit to
the grave, save perhaps the OetteJ
that his fingers had been Strengthened
relieved his mind and 80 contributed
to his ease.
Ind. 1t is said that Mr.. Harris,
while lying in bed at home, knew
what was being done at the grave
where his hands were buried. ], this
be true-and believe ii is--it presents
a more difficult problem; but 1t IL
one that belongs To Psychology, and
not to Physiology. 1t Is one Of those
phenomena of mind that have never
been explained with certainty. Here
is a theory which satisfies me better
than any other / know, and / submit
it for what 1t is worth.
The process by which we acquire
knowledge are two,-sensation and
perception. BY sensation Is meant
the effect produced on the physical
senses, while perception is purely u
mental process. Ia this case Mr..
Harris could not have acquired his
knowledge through the Physical
senses, being too far from the scene
of the occurrences How then did he
get it? Is the mind capable of per-
ceiving objects and acts without the
aid OF these senses? | think Ii IL, and
that it's power OF PERCEPTION Is indie
pendent of distance. Many well at
tested phenomena seem TO me to sup
port this idea. The case OF Rev. j. Is.
Sanders, OK. Y. Z."), the Alabama
preacher, who for many years of his
life was frequently able to describe
events occurring hundreds of miles
away, even reading I'd reproducing a
letter that was being written by dis
tant friend, is in point Not once, but
hundreds of times, this man showed
that his mind really perceived SAW
without the aid of the senses, and re-
CARELESS of distance.
One of Addisson's best essays il
entitled dreams an Evidence Of the
Immortality of the Soul" His
Efforts TO prove the now COM
monty accepted theory OF psycholo-
gists that the mind never sleeps. He
says that during our waking hours,
the mind, encountered by the body,
is confined to the care Of the body, as
a nurse is confined TO the care Of
child. Its actions are therefore re-
stricted, and its perceptions depend
ant upon sensation. But the body
grows weary and must rest. The
mind, the nurse, then lays its charge
to sleep, and goes pleasure-seeking
where il will. III the body Is in per-
feet repose, there is no dream, because
the gambols of the mind make no
impression on the senses; but the
lack of a dream does not disprove the
minds activity. On the contrary, its
activity, even in the most profound
sleep is shown by the accuracy with
which il measures time and arOuses
the body from sleep at any appointed
hour, when charged To do so. Many
other interesting phenomena support
this theory, but 1 must spare your
space.
These facts seem TO me TO justify
the conclusion that while Mr.. Harris
slept, his mind did actually see what
was being done at the grave. This
gave him some mental relief, and
sleep or some other soothing influence
did the rest, so as to enable him to
say he felt better. Il. b. KELLY.