The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-27
STUDYING THE BRAIN
MODERN SCIENCE KNOWS HOW WE
THINK, SEE. HEAR AND FEEL

LOCATING Brain Diseases BY Observing inc
Action Of Parts OF the Body-Curious
Things Brain Experts Have Discovered
From Experiments.
Definite knowledge has recently bcen
acquired regarding the anatomy of the hu-
man mind. II Is now understood, with a
fair degree Of accuracy, whore and how
ideas of various kinds originate In differ
ent parts Of the so called gray matter.
The organ Of thought has been divided
up into sections, as IL were, which are sew
orally responsible for the creation Of ideas
and images Of many classes. Certain areas
of brain surface are recognized as control
ling vision, hearing, taste, smell and vo-
cal speech, while others govern the muscu-
lar mechanism Of the body. II you move
your big toe, you direct its motion by or
ders conveyed from point of tho cerebral
oortex directly beneath the very middle OF
tho top of the skull.
At tho University of Pennsylvania i'm
portant work I'm this line Of scientific 10.
search IL being carried on under the direc-
tion Of Dr. Lightner Wilmer. He has a
Laboratory fitted up with all sorts OF queer
looking machinery for finding out how
long 1t takes people to think, to see to
hear, to feel, to distinguish colors and
other such things. There arc models of
brains, which one may take apart and put
together again as II they were Chinese puz-
zles.
Most Of the knowledge thus obtained
has been got by studyingthe brains of low
er animals, chiefly dogs and monkeys. IL
does not always follow that what Is true OF
q monkey Ia true Of a man, and scientists
have been led into good many errors by
assumptions Of that kind. Unfortunately
IL Is not practicable to make experiments
upon living human brains, save In excep-
tional cases where surgical operations have
20 be performed on them. But IL Is very
easy TO remove portion OF the skull Of
monkey and TO observe how the beasts acts
when stimulation-electricity Is usually
employed for the purpose-is applied to one
portion or another Of the surface.
Acquaintance with the so called motor
areas has become so accurate that disease
of part of the brain can usually be To-
Gated with exactness by observation OF the
muscles of tho body. An abnormal wiggle
OF the big toe would lead the physician to
look for trouble in the middle Of the top
OF the head Maybe there would be no
cure for it, and then again perhaps some
thing might be done II IL were ascer-
there, it might be imagined that a frac-
ture previously unsuspectcd had occurred,
causing pressure on the brain. In that
case relief would probably be obtained by
trephining.
An interesting instance on record Is
that of n girl who was suddenly seized
with paralysis of ono side of the face, ac-
companied by loss of power of speech.
Within three or four days the paralysis
passed downward from tho arm TO the
body and finally TO the leg on the same
side. Ii was decided by the doctors that
the symptoms indicated brain hemor-
rhage up tho 1ssure of Rolando and involv-
ing tho areas corresponding to the arm
and leg. The girl died, and post NOR
TEN examination disclosed the fact that
this was exactly what had occurred
The flssure of Rolando runs across the
top of the head from side to side and al
most from ear to car. In and about IL are
located the most important motor areas
which govern the muscular movements OF
the body. The highest point corresponds
90 the toe. Following the flssure down the
side of the head toward the ear comes the
leg, next the arm and finally the face.
That portion which represents the face is
much moro highly differentiated-i. g.,
q
Thanks to this arrangement, one is able
to vary ones countenancc with an almost
infinite play Of expression, every little
muscle being under ready control.
Close by and associated with tho area
representing the face Is that of vocal
speech. This latter area Is so highly differ
entiated that each letter and numeral
seems to possess its own special tract.
There Is a case on record Of o man who
forgot the letters b, =, q, land Y and the
numerals, O, 7and 8. In other respects he
was oil right. But he could not read be-
cause the letters mentioned were unknown
to him. OF course no could not write
either. He was unable to add 2 and be-
cause was unknown to him. When he
tried to write out the word "six," he
could only get az far az tho first two let
ters, inasmuch as tx" was forgotten.
People remember things in different
ways according to the habit of the indi-
viduaL For example, you ask one man
when Columbus discovered America, and
he will reply 1i9s promptly, having a Wis.
ual picture Of the figures forming that
date In his mind. But another person will
recall the date not In that manner at all,
but by sound. In tho latter case 1t may
be the centers Of hearing that furnish the
memory, but IL Is snore likely TO be those
of vocal speech. The best spoilers are Wis
ualists. They Geo mental pictures of
words, spelling them by reading them off
as II from n blackboard. Lots of folks
have no such pictures at all Most Of them
seem to depena chiefly, II not wholly, upon
the habit Of ,.sinR the letters and syllables
In certain forms of speaking.
The part q. the brain belonging to and
representing each scnse-sceing, hearing
or what uot--seems TO bo a complete little
brain in itself A banker of Frankfort
lost tho use OF his visual brain for pur-
poses Of memory and was obliged to begin
like a child and train his auditory brain.
Tho orator, whose words pour out In an
eloquent food as II self inspired, possesses
centers Of vocal speech which are highly
developed constituting In themselves
brain capable Of doing its own thinking
ss it wsre.-New York World.
No Reduction Accepted.