Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-05-17
THE BRAIN AND TIE MEMORY.

It L. Assumed That Eyerv rho...
Separate Lodxer In the Brain.
What is the brain like in its capac;tv
of storehouse. and what should ,ra 80
if we could reduce our stat,ra r., g.
finitesinal proportions and travel alon,,
the corridors of the brain? Does Il r,,,s
tain galleries of pictures? Is Il f,,--
nished with shelves and pipeon-bol.s
for the classification and care of records
and messages? It is impossible to con-
ceive what kind of apparatus or f;tt;n1.
can at once be suitable for stor;no, ~
pictures and sounds and all the y.-;a-
ties of impressions received from al,
the senses Nor can we discover .n,-
curious machinery, even with the mi
croscope, Tor the structure of the gray
matter is SO minute as to defy the
powers OF the lens, and all that we can
detect Is an agglomeration of minute
cells.
calculation has been made regard.
ing the number of these brain cells. It
is assumed that every thought or per-
ceptlon is a separate lodger in the
mind, requiring an apartment of the
brain to itself; and the cells are the
apartments. We have to provide ar.
commodation for all the incidents of
our everyday life, for all we read in
the daily papers, for all that our school,
masters crammed into us, and all that
we have learned since How is this
possible in one small skull? Our con-
ception is assisted by photography.
which can print the Lords PRAYER so
small that it requires a powerful mi
croscope to read it. Surely, then. min
ute portions of the brain NAV contain
great deal? The cells vary in size
from 1-S00 of an inch in diameter to
$4,000: and this being known it is not
difficult to estimate the entire number
of them in the brain. Dr. Hooke, the
mathematician, said s,155, 700. 600: but
according to Maynert's calculation the
number of cerebral cells is only GOO.
OOO, 900.
Seeing that the doctors differ, let us
use the slate and pencil ourselves. The
thinking power of the brain is be-
lieved to reside in the gray matter of
the surface This is a sheet of cellular
nerve substance, which is crumpled
into convolutions through being con-
fined within the narrow limits of the
skull If it were spread out fiat it
would be found equal to layer one
ih~h IL lhiShuCSS anu Twelve Inches
long by eleven inches broader slight
ly nore-giving a total of 134 cubic
inches. If all the cells were one-three-
hundredth of an inch in diameter
there would be room for 81, 600, 900 of
them in one cubic inch, and therefore
for S.61S, 900 in the whole; but
since many CT the cells are
smaller, the total number must
be greater. Let us, however, be con-
tent with the 3.61s million. What is a
million? The Bible, Old and New
Testament together, is said to contain
about $3.50. 900 of letters; we should.
therefore, have to pile up Lib copies
of the Scriptures to get a heap con-
tanning as many letters as the brain
contains cells. As each cell may ac-
commodate one idea or thought, proba-
bly, even a smaller storehouse would
suffice for the wants of the average
human creature. On the other hand,
when great thinkers require more ac-
commodation they may, perhaps, be
able to grow more brain cells, and
Webster did tell a great American
scholar that he had to change the size
of his hat every few years.-N. Y.
WeeIxlv