The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-08
EFFECTS ON BRAIN
SOME NOVEL EXPERIMENTS IN MEAS
URING ITS INFLUENCE.
First Psychological Tests of the Kind
Facts About the Hot Weather.
Washington Letter in Boston Transcript.

Washington Letter in Boston Transcript.
The tickle weather thus far character
istic of the present summer has been highly
favorable to a, series of unique experiments
still in progress at the Laboratory of Psy-
chology and Psychurgy lately erected in
the environs Of this city. AT this labora-
tory, for the first time in the history of
psychology, instruments Of precision are
being applied to the human brain on a large
scale for the primary purpose Of accurately
measuring the precise effects of extreme
heat upon the various processes OF thought.
Subjects have been shut up in IN air.
tight chamber fitted with apparatus capa-
BILE of artifcially creating all sorts of eli
mate, either hot or cold, dry or damp, with
a high or low electric potential, etc. In
this chamber the climate can be kept ex-
actly normal for any desired space Of time
by a. system of regulators which automat-
icalIy turn to change the working of the
weather-producing machinery.
The writer, who was the first newspaper
man to have investigated the new line of
experiments, was received a day or two
ago at the laboratory by it's director, Prof.
Elmer Gates, who exhibited his extensive
paraphernalia. 1t would require a good
sized cyclopedia to properly describe all of
the wonderful instruments for studying the
mind collected in this modern brain shop.
There are devices for registering the speed
of thought, the acuteness of the senses, the
effects of the emotions, the durability of
brain energy, the speed of mental recupera-
ton, the effects of food upon the mind, and,
in fact, every condition, normal and abnor-
NAL, which can occur to the mind of a liv-
ing, thinking organism.
The interesting tests begun this summer
indicate, in short, that as the temperature
of the air surrounding the human body
rises above Is degrees Fahrenheit and APP
proaches SO degrees-abo1t the normal tenn
p~erature Of the body itself-a dangerous and
destructive degenerative process begins in
the nerves. AS a result of this the senses
of taste, touch, smell, hearing, seeing, ETC.,
grow less and less acute and the power to
accomplish original brain work becomes
more and more diminished. The results of
the experiments would indicate that every
dwelling should be equipped in summer
with apparatus for maintaining an evenly
and normally cool temperature. Such an
apparatus has been devised for use in the
laboratory, and will be described in another
connection below.
For a number of years Professor Gates
has carefully kept a systematic diary con-
tanning details of his daily food. rest and
other habits, climate, etc, and the actions
VI HIS lllllO L lAilQ mat QQLA1S lltG past
six years 50 per cent. of his productive
brain work in summer has been accom-
plished while the temperature has been be-
low 70 degrees and while the humidity of
the air has been about 60 degrees.
EFFECT ON THE BRAIN.
But far more interesting and valuable
have been deductions from the actual lab
oratory experiments made within the past
few weeks. One experiment has been to
test the effects of extremely hot weather
upon the brains power to visualize" Wis.,
ualizing is an intensiication of the process
which every ones mind performs while
reading. The moment the reader looks at
the name of an object, what is known as a
memory image" of that object comes up in
the mind, more or less distinctly. But if.
with great concentration, an effort be made
to hold that object in the mind for several
minutes, the memory image grows more
and more distinct. until it stands forth as
wildly as a dream, and is, therefore, known
as a dream image" A dream image of
some absent friend, for instance, can be
brought up in the mind in a few seconds or
minutes. if the eyes be closed and the mind
concentrated upon that persons appear
ance at q certain time. When such dream
images occur automatically, habituallY, and
without relation to actual happenings, they
are known as Authorizations. To test the
effects of hot weather upon the minds
power to visualize, the professor has pre-
pared lists of familiar names arranged at
random, and he finds that simple memory
images of five hundred of these, such as
might occur to the ordinary reader. may
be brought up in rapid succession in four
and three-quarter minutes at a temperature
of IS degrees, while ii requires, on an av-
erage. as much as six and one-quarter min
utes for the mind to do exactly the same
work when the temperature is 80 degrees.
1t further required ninety minutes to con-
lure up one hundred of the more vivid
dream images of objects at a temperature
of rs degrees, but 146 minutes when the
temperature was 30 degrees. All OF these
iects. Indicate to the professor that in
creased temperature above rs degrees grad
uaIly decreases the brains rapidity or func-