The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1896-11-12
OUR THIRD EYE
Scientists Claim That We Have
an Extra Optic
This Rsssntly Discovered Organ Exists
Also IN vertebrAtes OF the Lower
0rdsgs- Where II Il
Located

Located
Recent researches prove that man
and all vertehrates seem to possess the
rudiments of third eye. This discoy-
cry is not only very interesting, but
also remarkably instructive, since the
rudimentary third eye OF man has, by
one of The most noted philosophers Of
modern days, been looked upon as be-
ing the seat OF the soul.
AS organs by proper use develop in
strength and perfection, SO they be-
come weak by lack of use, II for many
generations an organ should remain
without use. its structure in time be-
comes simpler and more imperfect. II
such process continues throughout
ages, an organ, by constant disuse, will
become reduced to q mere rudiment of
what il was in the species using the
same, Thus, species of birds that only
waik and run, but never fly, have only
yudimentary wings, as the ostrich;
while in the eagle and the albatross
he wings are seen In state OF periec-
tion.
Now, in closely examining the skulls
of certain lizards, it was found that
near the top Of head, under the dark,
opaque skin, and often in the very bone,
an almost perfect eye exists, although
no ray Of light ever could reach it, This
eve shows a crystalline lens, q retina Of
gery complex structure and an optic
nerve; in fact, all the essential parts
cf a perfect eye. But being covered by
the Opaque skin of the animal it is alb
solutely useless. II this optic nerve is
traced to the brain il is found to con-
meet the eye with the se-called pineal
gland of the brain. This pinesl gland
is, of course, in no sense of word q
real gland, hut definite portion Of the
nervous tissue Of the brain, invariably
located Just back and partly over the
cerebrum. and in front OF the rounded
brain mass which generally is consid-
cred to correspond to the corpora
quadrigemiua in man.
This third eye of the spotted lizard
is called the pineGl eye, on account Of
the nerve connection of the retina with
The pineal gland Now, while in Ger
tain lizards this highly developed eye
is useless because it is covered by
opaque skin. and in others even deep
ly bedded in bone, it would seem pruba-
lie that in an earlier stage Of develop
ment this pineal eye was not rudi-
nleutary, but in constant use. A very
slight modification would accomplish
tiiis-namely, the transparency of the
skin covering the eye. This is exact
y the condition of the normal eyes in
reptiles to-day; the skin covers them,
hut it is transparent where it passes
over the eye. In the skulls of some Of
he gigantic reptiles Of the earlier age
Of this globe, paleontologists have long
ago found large round perforation.
Probably this was the socket of the
third or pineal eye of the ichthyosau-
rus, the plesiosaurus and the labyrin-
thodon.
But much more important conclu-
sion must be drawn from this discov-
ery-namely, that in all vertebrates,
even including man, the traces OF this
third eye remain to-day. The pineal
eve Of lizards being connected with the
large pineal gland Of the same. it
would seem that the pineal gland itself
is but the nerve center or optic thalmus
for this third eye. In all reptiles and
amphibia the pineal gland is large; SO
IT is also in fishes. In higher animals
the eerebrum develops very much, over
growing the more posterior portions of
the brain. By this preponderance Of
the nerve mass the pineal gland be-
comes covered by the eerebrum and as
sumes more and more rudimentary
forms. But it remains with obstinate
f'ertinacity. It is even always present
in man-though here only of the size of
a pea and rudely resembling pine cone
in shape. 1t seems also degenerated in
structure, having hardly any nervous
tissue. These facts Of form and struct-
ure have given rise to it's name, that Of
pineal glsnd.-Popular Science Month.
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