Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-01-12
HUMAN BRAIN CELLS.
THEY REFUSE TO WORK UNDER TOO
HIGH A PRESSURE.
Put on Too Much Steam and These
Minute Organisms Go on Strike.
Why Men Go Crazy or Become Alb
scntmfnded

|
| sentminded.
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 I'M
dergo further examination by the aid
| of improved science
The newest revelation in this direc-
| ton 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 a dangerous,
| raving lunatic?
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 n
simple bit of nerve substance, from
one end Of which. like an octopus,
spring 4 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, il be-
ing made to touch the tentacles or
short arms of the next one TO il, the
latter in its turn effecting contact with
n 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-
Der 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 healthy
condition each little cell, or brain &C.
topus. attends to its business faithful
ly and gives no trouble. but as man
generally is an animal who usually re-
fuses 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 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 n liv-
ing little thing. and it can endure n
great deal of abuse from you. but if
you should go little too far it rebels
and refuses to work any longer by
breaking contact with its companion
cells, which it can do by withdra awning
its long arm and getting itself out of |
circuit. But this rebellion is conduct
ed by whole groups of cells acting to-
Gethcr in full harmony.
Now, the object of this strike" is
simply to avoid ovcrwork, for each
tiny cell has stored within its minute |
space only Il certain amount of energy, |
but If you put on the high pressure |
this is easily consumed by the opera |
ton of the. brain. and the organism |
breaks down from exhaustion. Now, |
take the first ef the pEoblemS 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 Apvement be- |
come affected audf0le 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. and the man sleeps
like one dead. Finally. if more than
enough of alcoholic drink be taken,
the effect on the cells is to paralyze
them. and the unfortunate man dies.
There is some relation between eX-
activity of the mind and
insanity. Geniuses are apt to exhibit
symptoms of meptal 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
hypoehOndraic and had visions, Dean
Swift inherited insanity and was him
self not. little mad, Shelley was call
I'd by his friends Mad Shelley"
Charles Lamb went crazy. johnson
was another hypochondriac. Coleridge
was a morbid maniac. Milton was of a
morbid turn of mind. nearly approach
ng insanity (psdern Ideas of hades
Ire largely formed on the description
evolved by his diseased imagination,
md Byron said he vas visited by
ghosts.
This mental alienation occurring in
he foregoing cases shows that GER
ain specific groups of brain cells have
,ome under the baneful influence of
he guiding spirit called talent or
genius. which has used up all the en-
.rgy stored in each cell and each group
# cells. to the detriment of the whole.
With the result tina their ceasing work
las brought about various types of
insanity as depicted OF. to phrase it
more softly. induced disturbance OF
he mental equilibrium.
The remaining problem is absent
This is produced by a
temporary disjunction of certain
,roups of cells. \ man becomes so
described in his study of some partic-
liar subject and lends his whole
mind to thought that the hard think