New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-04
4 MATHEMATICAL PRODIGY IN FRANCE
THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES INVESTIGATES
THE REMARKABLE POWERS OF
JACOTFS INAI'DI.

Tho French Academy OF Sciences has been inves
tigatng n remarkable mathematical prodigy whn Is
creating considerable interest among French sciehuhc
men. His name Is Jacques maud. and the committee
apps to examine into his unusual powers was
headed by VI. Charcot, the psychologist and physician
OF Paris. maud. according to their report was born
h Piedmont in 1867 and at tho age OF six was put to
tend sheep In the mountains. IIo did not learn TO
read or write in his boyho0d but he In the habit
Of amusing himself by making mathematical calcula-
tons In his own way. Physically he presents no re-
marknble features and there is nothing to indicate In
him the possession of emarkable powers.
maud performs his wonderful calculations by meth
DDS peculiar 10 himself His memory for figures Is
most tenacious. lie can repeat perfectly list OF
400 figures an two after IL has been reced TO
him. A week after he has been given number OF
twenty-five figures he can recall II without an error
His powers have been greatly developed within five
years. He formerly could multiply only by three
figures he multiply BY NE. In few sec
onds lie give the cube Of number of two figures
Ills processes are absolutely original Thus.
he begins his operations the left. with the highest
figures instead OF at the right, as Is customary
hc does this especially In subtraction In extracting
roots he reaches his results speedily by successive
trials II is only few years since maud began to pay
any attention 10 solving real problems In mathematics
instead Of performing nero operations; but he has
already shown great aptitude In this also
". CharcOt studied lnaudi principally from the
psychological point If view. lie found that 1nandi
possessed a prodigious memory, but ono OF a re-
markable and peculiar kind, and upon this his mathe-
matical powers principally depend. Ut IS not n
| VISUAL memory, Is usually the case but an
audtive' one that Is. he does not see the figures
upon which he Is mentally working, but hears them.
hear the numbers" he Is reported rs saying land
ii is through my that they fix themselves IN my
Brain hear them echo through my head with the
sound OF ms voice. He would have much difficulty
In remembering them II the figures were "Htteh IN
Stead Of pvnornced. Indeed, IN that case he woiId
rcrsat them aloud, and while he Is carrying on MS
calculations be Is always heard talking rapidly 10
himself For things other than figures ne mas
momory rather below the avcragc Dates occurrences
passages Of verse or prose- for example he cannot re-
tain I!o has even aslpd how II was possible lot any
one 10 follow chess gnme from mepoy. HIS
visual" memory Is ordinary. If, for instance ne
shown i've numbers 81 five figures each, placed IN col
umns ard l. asked 70 name from memory ahN ph.c,
ular column nc generally fails. ANY one possessed OF
a remarkable visual memory wouI1 nave HAefl ea.h
| column with the Dr. tharcot expressed the
Cpl ion that Inauds popularity u an audltvc memory
wa, due The fact or at least largely hnuenccd DV H.
that he learned t. read and write only after rchine
mauhch aud thus practically barred from inc
exercise OF a visual memory. Nothing IN The YOUNG
mans ancestry found 10 show that he inherited
h remarkable memory for figures OF his eXtrnorulnay
| mathematical aptitude.