The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-07
The BRAIN AS SIGNAL BOX.
why 1t Is Easier to Remember AN
object Than Poem.
From Pearson's

From Pearson's.
The science of medicine is year after
year becoming more and more perfect: its
diagnosis are more reliable and its meth
Cd 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 re-
cent years been discovered. and which re-
veals to us what the Uranium really con-
tairs. Shelving what has gone before, and
what has been taught medical law, the
following interesting data on how the
brain works is now what is accepted at
the present time as the correct theory.
The .cerebrum-front and top--is the
chief part of the brain and the immediate
source of all our mental action. The gray
mat er nerve calls. These are the think
/ ing centers. Experiments have clearly
demonstrated that each convolution has
a special function, and If destroyed 1t can
not be replaced.
IT has also been recently found that the
left side of he brain is more active than
the right
How has that been found out? Well. II
an epileptc commences fit by twitching
the right thumb or hand. one would find
its cause in its nerve center on the left
side of the brain. 1t is only within the
past few years that medical men .are row
able to make map of the surface of the
brain according to the various functions
rformed.
All impressions received from the outer
world. whether through the medium of
sight smell, hearing, taste or touch, are
carried direct to the surface of the bran.
and recorded in the brain cells of their
respective areas, while al movements are
the result of impulses from the cells In
the different motor areas.
Now there are five large sensory areas
in the makeup of the brain: First sight,
which is the largest. at the back of the
brain Smell, taste and hearing have their
| positions at the side of the head in the
| temporal (temples) region and inner sur
| face. Touch has It's domicile at the top
| of the brain, while the large motor (giv-
| ing notion area takes up the Duik OF
| the middle brain.
These are so splendidly arranged by ma
| ture 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 ex-
ample how the sensory and motor nerves
work: II you touched anything hot or
sharp. the impression would be conveyed
10 the StnSOTN AREA diOtls tht h'i Nt' W.
nected with it, The sensory cell which
received the message would Immediately
communicate with the motor cells to pull
your hand away.
Why is Il easier 10 remember an object
than saw mathematical formula or
poem? The reason Of this is that whereas
the former has impressions stamped on
several brain centers, such as sight. couch.
smell taste and the rest. the latter are
,to rayhf ar nearly
so retentive as the former
In repeating poetry, for instance. II is
the sound of the last line which suggests
the next lire. but an object presents H.
self to the brain centers concerned imme-
diately You know an apple or an orange
when you see It, because you are aided
i'm distinguishing II by a set OF centers
which are not only more numerous. out
quicker in perception. Though poetry
IL revived in the sight and sound centers.
i. is not so well fixed there as in the
other case, because 1t calls up fewer
centers.
An apple for instance is stamped twice
In the optic center once as a green fruit
and once as the printed word. There r.
an optic word center and a pictorial or
Photographic center. The poem is only
stamped in the former. as. OF course, it
is not an object which can be pictorially
represented.
The brain is nothing less than big a.
bum OF photographs and other sensory
lmpre ssions. The prefrontal region may
be compared 10 a registry office where GER
tain records are kept. In the brain that
particular part is the starting place Tor
the memory. II we wish TO recall a sub
feet. the stimulus must pass TO the pre-
frontal OF registry Office OF the brain.
whence the stimulus ia sent TO the brain
cells containing the sensations to be re-
called. II is like a signal box on a rail-
way.
Now. unless your blood he In good order,
the active life OF the brain will he af
fected Blood II the nourishing agent,
and II II be OF poor kind the work II
does IN the way OF nourishment will be OF
q worthless character practically. Poor
Alood is an enemy of the brain, but, hap