Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23

"Now," said the snatomist. shat young Eel
low has got no more nervous organization In
nus body mo more and no less) than that col
oreo boy has who Is gaping up at him. and vet
the colored boy would no more think OF doing
what your man Of nerve has done than he would
OF flying. That will power which runs our
nerves-this involuntary and self-acting volition
which strings them up as il strung that young
| ieiow up before us now-is what YOU mean,
after all. and it is what everybody means when
they talk Of nerve rs indicative OF superior
courage and ability. 1 can tell you all about
our nerves, but neither nor any one else can
tell what that other matter 10. The brave man
and the coward, the good man and the vicious
are all anatomically and physiologically put up
just alike as to nerve structure; but that win
power, which regulates them, strings them up
and makes them move on a. they do in life, that
peculiar matter is Just q inscrutable to Us now
e. II was to Adam
EXAMINATION OF NERVE TISSUE.
"When examined under the microscope the
tissue Of which our entire nervous system is
composed can be readily separated into two
elements: the vascular and the fbrous; the
former is gray in color, granular in its texture.
and il largely supplied with blood this il our
brain matter; the latter is usually white in color
(though in some parts Of our bodies il is gray,
and is composed Of tubular fibers and il is less
vascular than the brain substance; our brain il
the originating seat Of the force which we mani
icrt III al our nervous actlOns. whle the latter
or the fbers are simply the propagators Of those
impressions or wills of the former. The union
| OF these two kinds Of matter constitute q nerv-
Gus center, and the threads of fibrous matter
which pass to or from il are called nerves. The
smaller nervous centers are termed gauglia and
the larger ones are the brain and the spinal
chord.
These nerve tubes or ibres which run all
through our bodies are soft, fine cylindrical a.
aments within tube Of soft. semi-Auid, whitish,
PUPPY substance, structureless sheath; when
the nerve fbres are examined under powerful
microscope they appear clear, as Q rule, and
| transparent, with simple dark contours By
the use Of transmitted and reflected lights anst-
omists agree in observing that these fibers con-
Est OF three entirely distinct component struc-
lures, viz: Of . delicate coat and Q viscid fluid,
in the center OF which IL soft but elastic nerve
There is a great deal more that nigh. add in
this respect, but il is purely technical and the
arrangement Of our nerves they branch out
from our brains and spinal cords is diversified
| in a countless manner.
"We have in our scientific circles quite q
number OF men who insist that life is nothing
more than pure chemical and physical action
that II ID simply matter in motion; and these
men have subjected the nerve substance to
searching chemical ANALYSIS, but they have been
obliged TO admit that our knowledge Of the
no light upon the remarkable functions Of that
system.
THREE DISTINCT NArURKA
"The most striking popularity Of our nervous
system Ia the fact that Q nerve fiber seems to
possess three distinct natures, or in other
words, We seem to have bound up In this fiber
set Of special sense nerves, q set Of common
sensation nerves, q set Of motor nerves-au
travelling together in one bundle and ending ct
the same place, on the principle OF . quadru-
plex telegraph wire.
h<- l.. L.
plexly these nerves workable for example an
operation on o mans eye; q skillful oculist In
removing q cataract touches the retina- the
patient instantly declares that he perceives q
brilliant fash Of light, but experiences no pain
whatever-does not even feel i'll But let him
touch any part Of the eve where the nerve Of
common sensation exists as Q factor, then the
suffering Of the patient is instant and acute; in
spite Of the fact that the laws under which i'm
pressions are conveyed to the brain are the
same, yet those nerves Of special sensation, such
as those OF the retina Of the eve, which have
just cited, are no more capable of receiving the
imr ressions Of contact Of non-vibrating bodies
than are the nerves Of your leg Of perceivine
the impressions Of light and darkness.
1T is upon our nerves Of common sensation,
however, that We most depend for becoming
acquainted with all other palpable bodies, % to
their forms, size, hardness, cold, heat, &c.
And again our ideas Of form. size, &C., are de-
pendent in some degree upon another sense
which is peculiarly connected with the muscles,
and is called muscular sensibility.' By il We
know what degree Of muscular force we must
and do exert at any time for q given purpose,
and the chap over there who stopped that horse
called that faculty into full play when he
jumped at and held to its bride.
APPARENT FEELING OF An AFFILIATED LINE.
How often have We heard q legless or
an armless man say as he pointed down
to his stump that he could feel that foot
which he lost twenty years ago Just -
plainly Is though IL were there now, The
man told you the truth in spite Of the SEEM
ing absurdity Of the claim. II arises in this
way: II that part Of . divided nerve which il
still connected with the brain be stimulated
the same sensation 10 perceived q il the stimu-
lus were applied to all the parts In which the
branches Of that nerve we're distributed before
they were cut Of. Everybody has . perfect
illustration Of this strange action in that funny
particular stroke on our elbow d given That
queer tinRling pain which such . blow pro-
duces, and which appears TO have ia ssat in the
inner forearm and hand and in the little and
ring fingers, is owing to the lameuts Of the ulnar
nerve (Which pass behind the elbow) being dis
tributed TO those parts, and 10 the sensation be-
ing always referred TO the outside tarminasion
Of that flament, no matter where Il may b tfTi-
tated.
snow, Il Is, Of course, impossible 10 expert
ment upon Q single nervous dlament le9t the
accuracy with which the imagined seat Of ssnss-
ton produced by irritstings bundled Alamsnb
aocords with their distribution lssves no doubt
Of the accuracy Of the following odd trutAs:
SOME ODD TRUTHS.
"The nearer TO the brain that the stimulus Of
irritation IL applied the moro sxtsndsd u ths
bodily sensation; hence in disease Of Tie spinal
chord pain u often felt IN IN the parts supplied
with nerves coming Oh from the chord below
the diseased portion, and the pain Il dividing Q
nerve d felt over al the parts 70 which -
branches are distributed
ssThis 10 the Circumstance which gives riDo -
al the apparently queer idsas which eur frisnds
who have Lost . limb entertain - - their sti11 !
possessing Il. Often 20 strong d this dsludon
that thsy WIN insist On ssstng % touching -
vacant space before being ssaia6sd tha3 d b .
mere fancy Of THAR own For sxAmple, The
constant CRY Of pstisnt Who - just - his |
leg cut on and vhsls ths doctors ere dsesaine
his stump above the knss, "6top squsssing ny
kneei" 'sYou hurt my toes!n and the ma
The reason b that whsn thnss AIamsn1 a ~ |
nerves In his stump, which are dssaDsd for o. |
knee OF tbs foot below, are touchsd in drssuing |
the amputation, the knee itsslf or the foot = |
apparently severely handlsd 70 H. mind a - |
patient, and hs sulkss in hat arm ssnss1foa.
Do deceptive are These ssnatious that ysass enA |
years after The loss q . limb, and even for ~
rest cf thsir hvss, mn Occasionally saAsaver - |