The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-26
RISKS THAT BRAINY PEOPLE RUN
Brain Cells Refuse to Work Under
Too High Pressure.
(Pearson's Weekly
,eping pace with scientific thought

Keeping pace with scientific thought
and progress certain problems, which.
| in the past, have been shelved for want
of light being thrown upon them. have
| been taken up again. one by one, to
/ undergo further examination by the
aid of improved science.
The newest revelation in this direc-
| tions tends to the science of the mind,
and includes the following problems:
Why does a man act queeriy when
he is intoxicated?
why is man absent minded on oc-
casicns?
Why does man sometimes become
violently insane, often a dangerous.
raving lunatic?
Such questions as these have puz-
zled our immediate fathers, who have
hardly ever satisfactorily explained
them away. or. indeed, thrown much
reliable light upon them. The human
brain is composed of cells. and each
cell is a simple bit of nerve substance.
from one end of which, like an octo-
pus, spring a number of tentacles. while
from another part arises an arm diff
ferent from them and of great length.
The long arm is intended for trans
hitting impressions from one portion of
the brain system TO another, 1t being
made to touch the tentacles or short
arms of the next one TO it, the latter in
its turn effecting contact with a third
CELL and so on.
Thus message is conveyed and the
mind gets its news. The entire brain is
made up of these cells, whose number
is legion, and whose full strength is
grouped in systems, these systems, in
turn, being arranged in communities,
the communities in clusters, and, fin
ally, the clusters in consultations. by
70
psychologists.
So long as the mind is in healthy
condition each little cell or brain octo-
pus attends to it's business faithfully,
and gives no trouble, but as man gen.
orally is an animal who usually refuses
to live the life spanned out by nature,
and adopts instead the life laid down by
the modern artificial process of living.
instituted forsooth by civilization, men
tai disturbances frequently arse
through the brain becoming abused in
various ways. from overwork and alco-
hol principally.
Your octopus-like brain cell is liv-
ing little thing. and it can endure a
great deal of abuse from you, but If
you should go a little too far ii rebels
and refuses to work any longer by
breaking contact with its companion
cells. which it can do By Withdrawing
its long arm and getting itself out of
circuit But this rebellion is conduct
ed by whole groups of cells acting to-
gether in fun harmony.
Now. the object Of this strike is
simply to avoid overwcrk, for each tiny
cell has stored within its minute space
only certain amount of energy, but if
you put on the high pressure this is
easily consumed by the operation of the
brain, and the organism breaks down
from exhaustion. Now. take the first of
the problems just stated. When a per-
son takes too much to drink the cells
in those patches of the brain that are
responsible for the conduct of muscu-
lar movement become affected and the
man staggers.
When the dose is very large the cells.
which, although stupefied have tried to
keep their master on his legs now
cease working. end the man sleeps like
one dead Finally. if more than enough
of alcoholic drink be taken, the effect