The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-09
QUALITY OF THE MIND.
The Man Whose Two Brains Are Equal
Is the Napoleon of Life.

IL tAiCualusOn IN tne ASceepiau
Duality of the mind in its marked char
acter is ever before US; there IS not q single
work of Imagination poriraying human
character in which the duality is not exem-
plifed. Ficiionist and post live upon il. and
Noticed recently that one of the most analy-
teal and realistic writers Of fiction in France
and one of the most popular, ri. GuyO;,
recognizes not only the ant. but the science
Of the method. In describing one of his
imaginary characters, or more probably n
real character transformed from the Ordi-
nary daily life into his pages under false
name, he explains duality on the same
principal that Wigan did long before him.
He is dealing with a man who has two
brains-bralns which are not of the same
mold. and therefore not Of the same action
and he writes his character from this stand
point, with all the vig0r of a master in lit
erature and the precision of man OF sci
ence.
Wigan was of opinion that no single per-
son has the two brains exactly balanced
He considered the most powerful mind was
that in which the two brains, both being
healthy. were nearest TO each other in Ca
pacity; but he believed that that was also a
good condition in which one brain took the
leading part, aud in which the other brain,
in accord with the stronger, lent the stronger
It's assistance. A mind sustained in this
manner was one strong Tor endurance.
and one that was able to undertake, with
certainty OF successful work, the most diff
cult and hazardous labors The minds of
men like Cromwell, Washington, Yelling
ton, Franklin, would be of this last-named
caste; while the minds OF the giants of in
telleet, OF Napoleon, Newton, Columbus
would be constructed on two brains OF
equal power, both in unison in their capacity
and Will for action.
In common life the TWO brains act to-
getheT with sufficient unity to maintain the
MIND IN fairly balanced state, bat there
are conditions in which the divergence Is so
considerable that balance is broken, and
then there is what we call insanity. Mipan
sums up the argument in q very clear man
ner. tie says i think it may lie assumed.
without risk of contradiction, that the fact
oil each brain being perfect and complete
instrument OF thought is abundantly proved.
mat each, While in health. corresponds in
acll0n with its fellow is obvious from the
fact that this unison and correspondenca
give only one result, as In the case OF two eyes
producing single vision. That when, from
any cause, one brain 8 disordered. a dis
crepancY IN tie two processes OF thinking
takes place. That the healthy brain (aided
ny The action OF such of the organs of its
fellow rs are not affected by the disorder
which dlsturbS the others can, in nearly
g99 cases IN 1000, according to the usual
proportion IN this country, control all mani
lestatlOns OF morbid emotion or Judgment
but that the thOusaBdth case is the mad
man." Tho balance Is suffic emily preserved
on the grand scale to prevent the intrusion
INTO the world OF an excess Of insanity. At
the same time there is wide range of di-
version, short of obvious destruction of
balance. Heredity here plays a leading
part.