Rock Island daily Argus., 1892-02-12
WIND SWEPT HEADS.
A Physicians sasenie for Detecting the
Presence of Insanity.


Presence of Insanity.
DR.. Peter McCahey, of Philadelphia. has
found that by placing IA stethoscope to a
persons head be can distinctly hear the
sound of an air current within and by the
character of the sound can tell whether
person IS sane or ins' ne: and he positively
AYERS that in the Uranium of a big headed
idiot this wind current can be distinctly
heard loudly whistli1g
The doctor is convinced that the brain
breathes as well as the lungs For many
years he has been investigating air as a
mechanical agent in the human body, and
about year ago conceived the novel idea
of Il rubber tip to the ordinary stethoscope.
whereby the instru nent can be fitted so
exactly to the subjects head that the sound
OF this brain respirat ion cannot escape, but
may be undeniably heard. That it differs
in sane and insane persons the doctor is
convinced. and by m sans of the stethoscope
he feels sure that he can distinguish, as a
rule. between healthy Drained people and
those who are insane or idiots.
The little rubber tip which is DR.. Nc
Cahey's discovery. S a novelty, and its
story was unfolded by DR.. McCahey him
self.
My general Theory" declared DR.. Nc
eNAtAN
employed by all the inimate world, animal
or vegetable, to permit of growth against
the continual resistance of the atmosphere
Is heated air. Within the interstices of the
tissue of the body IS air and this air, be-
coming heated by the processes of life ex-
erciseS a greater expansive force than the
| outer atmosphere, and thereby enables the
animal to grow agail lst it, You can squeeze
this air out OF tomato and pepper under
water and see it con up in large bubbles
| In the tissue and hollow organs of men this
! air is used rs the direct mechanical func-
! tion. The expansive force in spitting
! coughing and sneeZing we know to be air.
a free supply of air to the brain is just
| as necessary us n free supply to the lungs
! and any interference with this brain res
| piratiOn viii cause serious disturbance of
the cerebral functions even insanity In
sanity may be caused by tumor or by 4
congestive blow, bat post mortcms almost
invariably disclose no resident cause of in
| sanity. That people become insane and
are permanently restored and that there is
a recurrent insanity points TO a functional
| arrangement
This disturbed function claim to he
| the cranial respiration. Air taken into the
| lungs passes to and from the brain through
| minute pores at the base of the skull The
normal circulation of blood through the
brain depends upol this normal air cur
rent. Ii from ANY cause these tiny pores
become closed or Stopped to an abnormal
| degree, the current : impetied or destroyed
! The air that is shut in becomes oYerhcated
! and cOngests the brain"
BY means of the loctor'S rubber ti3pcd
stcthoscope wonderful thin.-s come to light.
In the head of II healthy person two dis
tinct sounds can be heard, concident with
the Inhalation and cXhalation of air by the
lungs. These sounds are practically of the
same tone in all hc; lthy heads, but are al
tered or absent in al classes of insane or
idiots. The sounds of the heart and voice
in these mentally weak and deranged i'm
fortunates are also Iifferent from those in
sane persons. As these are grades of in
sanity so there are degrees of sound
As Il rule the noise of the wind current
OF an insane or idiot c brain is more marked
| ly perccptible than that OF a sane organ,
and in big headed IDIOTS it whistles loudly
The major portion Of insanity is caused by
arrangement of the cranial wind apparatus
Where it is not due to a tumor, a blow or
some kindred direc. injury to the brain or
its covering, insanity is tracpable to this
ill wind. ." and the rubber tipped stetho-
scope may yet become the champion insane
expert IL the gurld.-Newark journal