Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-09-29
OUR COMPLEX BRAIN
HOW NERVE MESSAGES ARE CON
VEYEO TO AND FROM 1T.

n Is "A Signal Box Which Records
and Transmits All SensafiOn-SeIf
Control the Key to Preserving Its
Equilibrium.
The science of medicine is year after
year becoming more and more perfect.
Its diagnoses are more reliable, and its
method of treatment is more rational.
Although the brain is the chief part
Of the animal man, yet there are many
things about the brain which scientists
have not yet fathomed.,
But great strides have been made in
that knowledge which has only within
recent years been discovered and which
reveals to us what the Uranium really
contains. Shelving what has gone be
fore and what has been taught as med
ical law, the following interesting data
on how rhe brain works are now what
Is accepted at the present time as the
correct theory:
The cercbrum and top-is the
chief part of the brain and the imme
diate source Of all our mental action
The gray matter of the outer surface is
made up Of layers OF nerve cells. These
have clearly demonstrated that each
convolution has a special function, and
II destroyed ii cannot be replaced.
il has also been found that the left
side of the brain is more active than
the right.
How has that been found out? Well,
If an epileptic commences fit by
twltching the right thumb or hand one
would find its cause In IFS nerve center
on the left side Of the brain It is only
within the past few years that medical
men are now able to make d map of the
surface Of the brain according to the
various functions performed.
All Impressions received from the
outer world, whether through the me-
dunn of sight. smell, hearing, taste or
touch. are carried direct TO the surface
of the brain and recorded in the brain
cells Of their respective areas, while
all movements are the result of i'm
pulses from the cells IN the different
motor areas.
Now, there are five large sensory
areas in the make mp OF the brain.
First, sight, which Is the largest, at
the back of the brain. Smell. taste aud
hearing have their positions at the side
of the head i'll the temporal (temples)
region and inner surface Touch has
its domicile ut the top Of the brain,
while the large motor giving mCtiom
area takes up the bulk Of the middle
brain.
These are so splendidlv arranged by
nature that the motor cells of the lips
are in front, then those of the hand,
arm and so on TO the foot. To give
you an example how the sensory and
motor nerves work: If you touched
anything hot or sharp. the impression
would be conveyed to the scnsOry area
along the nerves connected with it.
The SenSory cell which received the
message would Immediately cOmmuui-
cate with the motor cells to pull your
hand away.
Why Is IL easier to remember an OBJ
ject than, say. mathematical formula
or Il poem? The reason of this is that
whereas the former has impressions
stamped on several brain centers, such
as sight, touch, smell, taste and the
rest, the latter are stamped on centers
which are not nearly SO retentive as
the former.
In repeating poetry. for instance, it
is the sound of the last line which
suggests the next line, but an object
presents itself to the brain centers
concerned Immediately. You know an
apple or an orange when you see IL
because you are aided in distinguishing
II by set OF centers which are not
only more numerous, but quicker in
perception. Though poetry is revived
in the sight and sound centers. it is
not so well fixed there as in the other
case, because 1t calls up fewer cen
tiers.
An apple, for instance, Is stamped