The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-17

A human brain cell Is a little octopus
with power to move the Tiny -tentacles
with which it is provided, to stretch them
out or to withdraw them at will Upon
this fact rests the newest revelation in
the science of mind. says Dr. w. A. HAM
mond III the New York Herald
Why does a man act queerly when he
is intoXicated7
Why is a man absent minded on oc-
casions?
Why. in rare Instances, does a man for
get all of his past life, being forced TO
begin again as 4 new individual?
Why does man sometimes become
Violently and dangerously insane raw
Ing maniac? -~.s-,- IS. .ft -sse.s
A ISOLATION of these problems, so long
deemed hopelessly puzzling, has at last
been worked out, and very satisfactory
exposition of the subject is given by DR..
Ira Van Gieson In a volume just pub
1ished by the Pathological Institute OF
the New York State Hospitals.
A human brain cell as described by DR..
Van Gieson, is a simple bit of nerve
substance, from one end of which springs
number of tentacles, while from an
other Part arises an arm different from
these and of great length. The long arm
is for transmitting impression from one
portion of the brain system to another.
For example, a given octopus extends
its long arm so as to touch the tentacles
or short arms of a second octopus; the
latter in its turn effects contact with q
third, and so on. Thus a message Is
conveyed and the mind gets It's news.
The entire brain is congerics of these
cells, groups of which are organized into
systems by what are called Association
fibres." In their turn the systems are
arranged in communities, the commune
ties in clusters and the clusters in constel-
lations. So long as the mind apparatus
Is in a healthy condition, each little
octopus" attends to it's business faith
fully and there is no trouble; but I'M
fortunately, civilized man abuses his
brain in various weys, though especially
with overwork and alcohol and mental
disturbances are the consequences of re-
bellion on the part Of the octopus, which
have way of cutting business when
they are i'll treated beyond certain
point.
You see, the octopus has power to with
draw, well as to extend. its tentacles
or shorter arms, and in this way 1t is able
to throw itself "out of circuit AS a
matter of fact, such action is not taken
by a single brain cell, but by whole
groups together. The cells are so linked
by education and habit that they can
operate only as members Of assemblages,
and the withdrawal of one Individual
!. from business signifies a strike by a
large number. The object of the. strike
is simply to avoid cverwork, and the ac-
ton taken Is a signal of exhaustion: II
means that the cells cannot afford to give
any more energy.
Here you have an illustration of what
sometimes happens to the successful mer~
chant who works eighteen hours out of
every twenty-four at piling up the dol
lars. One day something goes wrong;
his thought machine does not seem to
work properly. and ideas do not flow
easily. No attention being paid to the
matter, phenomena of this kind become
more frequent and at length there comes
a breakdown. A group, or perhaps a
system, of brain cells has given up work
and thrown itself out of circuit, refus-
ing to transmit messages. The merchant
goes to a sanitarium for while. and
if careful of himself. he may recover.
Or the case may be that of a literary
man who gets into the habit Of helping
himself at his work with doses of whisky
He finds that he can accomplish more
with the aid of the stimulant, and after
while he cannot write at all without
H. The alcohol stimulates the brain
cells and causes them to yield an extra
amount of energy. This, Indeed, they dc
readily for while. hut 1t Is accomplished
at the expense of strain upon their re-
serve force, and at length they are
Obliged to give up. Also, the alcohol acts
'hem to work irregularly, SO that the lit