The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-03-14
HUMAN BRAIN CELLS.
THEY REFUSE TO WORK UNDER TOO
HIGH A PRESSURE.

Why Men Go Crazy or Become Alb
| sentminded.
Keeping pace with scientific thought
and progress certain problems which
in the past have been shelvcd for want
of light being thrown upon them have
been taken up again one by one to un-
dergO further examination by the aid
Of improved science
The newest revelation in this direc-
! tiOn tends to the science of the mind
and includes the following problems:
Why does a man act queerly when
he is intoxicated?
Why is a man absentminded on oc-
casiOns?
Why does man sometimes become
violently insane, often dangerous,
raving luna1ic?
Such questions as these have puzzled
our immediate fathers, who have hard
ly 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 octopus,
spring 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
mitting impressions from one portion
OF the brain system to another, it be-
ing made to touch the tentacles or
short arms of the next one to il, the
latter in its turn effecting contact with
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 num-
ber is legion and whose full strength
Is grouped In systems, these systems
in turn being arranged in communi-
ties, the communities In clusters and
finally the clusters in consultations,
by which divisions they are known to
Psychologists.
So long as the mind is in n healthy
condition each little cell, or brain oc-
topus. attends to it's business faithful
ly and gives no trouble, but as man
generally is an animal who usually re-
fuses to live the life spanncd out by
nature and adopts instead the life laid
down by the modern artificial process
OF living. Instituted fOrsooth by civil
lization, mental disturbances frequent
ly arise through the brain becoming
abused in various ways from over
work and alcohol principally.
Your OctOpuslike brain cell is a liv-
ing little thing, and it can endure q
great deal of abuse from you. but If
you should go a little too far it rebels
and refuses to work any longer by
breaking contact with it's companion
cells. which it can do by withdrawing
it's long arm and getting itself out of
circuit. But this rebellion is conduct
ed by whole groups of cells acting to-
gether in full harmony.
Now. the object Of this Strike" is
simply to avoid overwork. for each
tiny cell has stored within it's minute
space only certain amount Of energy,
but If you put on the high pressure
this is easily consumed by the opera
tion Of the brain. and the organism
breaks down from exhaustion. Now,
take the first of the problems Just
stated. When person takes too much
to drink. the cells in those patches Of
the brain that are responsible for the
conduct of muscular movement be-
come affected and the man staggers.
When the dose is very large. the
cells. which. although stupefed, have
tried to keep their master on his legs,
now cease working. and the man sleeps
like one dead. Finally. if more than
enough Of alcoholic drink be taken,
the effect on the cells is to paralyzc
them, and the unfortunate man dies.
There is some relation between ex-
traOrdnary activity of the mind and
insanity. Geniuses are apt to exhibit
symptoms Of mental alienation, and,
singular to relate, their children are
usually inferior to those of average
men.
For instance. not to go out Of Eng
land for example. Cromwell was a
hypOchOndraic and had visions, Dean
Swift inherited insanity and was him
self not little mad Shelley was call
ed by his friends mad Shelley"
Charles Lamb went crazy. Johnson
was another hypochondriac. Coleridge
was morbid maniac. Milton was Of n
morbid turn of mind. nearly approach
ing insanity (modern ideas of hades
are largely formed on the description
evolved by his diseased imagination.
and Byron said he was visited by
ghosts.
This mental alienation occurring in
the foregoing cases shows that GER
tain specific groups Of brain cells have
come under the baneful influence of
the guiding spirit called talent or
genius, which has used up all the en-
ergy stored in each cell and each group
of cells. to the dctrimcnt of the whole,
with the result that their ccasing work
has brought about various types of
ty,.-p ~, Il