The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-04
NAME CELL IN THE BRAIN.
A Cleveland Physician Claims Tha
He Has Located II.


He Has Located II.
Cleveland Dispatch in Philadelphia Times
DR.. George R. Grille, Cleveland sur
geon. performed a surgical opera ton re-
Gently that is attracting the attention Of
medical men all over the country He has
discovered a portion of the human brain
which is termed in non-scienuic language
the name cell"
Some years ago physicians and surgeons
in Europe devised the theory that each
section of the brain had some special
function to perform. In one spot certain
things were remembered, and in another
other things. One spot understood music,
and another had a different function, etc
One European doctor went so far as to
make a map Of the brain showing just
where each of the faculties is supposed
to be located.
1t was the scientific development of
phrenology. One of the little brain tracts
was said to be the part that remembered
names of people and things. The theory
was generally believed, and whenever doc
tors had cases in which any part of the
brain had been injured they studied the
effects on the patient, and in this way the
theory has been confirmed.
Patrick Mulhair a brakeman on the
CleNelahu ana ElllSDuTS railway, VINO -
now confined in the ST. Alexis Hospital,
in this city, recovering from a bullet
wound in his brain, is illustrating one Of
the most wonderful theories of brain func-
lions that the doctors have ever witnessed.
Mulhair was shot in the head with q
caliber bullet. The ball went through the
skull and plOwed its way three-quarters Of
an inch into his brain. The hospital sur
geons dug the bullet out which is in it.
self remarkably fine piece of surgicai
work, and now Mulhair is getting well.
The part of the brain that was destroyed
by the bullet was taken out
1t is a well known fact that when a
part of the brain is destroyed it will not
grow again as muscle and skin or even
bone may do. But Mulhairs case is an
especially good one from a surgical point
of view. The part of his brain that was
destroyed was that part with which he
remembered and spoke the names OF
things and people. Since he has been in
the hospital he has, until recently, been
unable to speak the names of even the
most ordinary article. For instance, he
could not speak nor remember the WORD
spoon" and when he wanted one he had
to indicate the article by motions. 1t was
the same way with combs, brushes. food
and everything else. Now he is recovering
the power TO remember and speak the
names of things. and the hospital doctors
think that he will soon be able to say any
thing that he wishes.
If this proves to be the case he will
confirm a still more wonderful theory the
doctors have about brain functions. The
theory has been held for a long while
that the right half of the speaking por-
ton of the human brain lies dormant I'M
til some part of the left or working side
is injured Then the right side comes
into use and does the work of the por-
ton of the left side of the brain that is
injured. This is the explanation of the
fact that Mulhair is learning to speak the
names of things again.
The odd part of it Is that he has to
learn the name of things over again just
as though he has never known them. This
is supposed to be because the right side
of his brain, the side that has lain dor
mant until now, has never learned any
thing. He is having the same trouble to
learn the names of people and things that
child mas, or foreigner has in learning
the English names of things. OF course
this will not be accepted by the scientists
as absolute proof of the theory about the
two sides of the brain. The way to prove
it absolutely, according TO DR.. Grille, and
the other surgeons VINO are attending Null
hair would be to destroy the portion OF
the right side of Mulhairs brain corre-
spending TO the left side that has already
been destroyed. Then, If he could speak
or learn to speak the names of things
and persons, the theory would be con-
firmed.
AS il u.s. ii is impossible to say as a GER
tainty whether the task of learning the
names of things has not been taken up by
some other part of the brain. The whole
theory may be wrong, DR.. Grille admits,
for il may be that the whole brain is af-
fccted by his wound, and that Mulhairs
inability to remember names is merely one
of the NANTES tations. None of the pa
tents faculties save that of calling things
by their right names seems to have been
affected. As soon as the case has pro-
gressed a little farther and Mulhair is
able to leave the hospital, which will
probably be in few weeks. the case will
be written up for the medical papers.
DIR. Grille does mol care TO divulge ell
the secrets regarding the wonderful oper-
alton he has performed until that time.