The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-18
cURrN0 CRrMrNALs.

sion to remark on the wonderful advance made in the science and practice of sur gery. Operations are now successfully performed, which would have been thought impossible even one century ago, or. if they had been performed with sue cess. the result would have been placed among the miracles. In hardly any other department of science has the advance been more marked.
 Lately the papers have made brief mem ton of two cases which have not re- ceiyed as much attention as they should. because. if they are true, and if they can be successfully followed. they must mark decided change in crimlnology. as well as surgery. Briefly stated, one of the cases was that of a boy of good family who had developed strongly brutal instincts. An examination by a surgeon of advanced methods convinced him that the boys nature might be changed by removing piece of the skull and thus relieving what the surgeon called "the deforming pressure" The operation was performed. and the boys evil instincts were entirely removed. In the other case q soldier who had been wounded in the head developed thieyish propensity. which was entirely removed by an operation which relieved the pres- sure on certain portion of the brain.
 When we get down to a serious con- sideration of the matter, these two in- stances are not so unreasonable as they might seem at first sight. The science of phrenology is not all c myth. Physlolo- gists and anatomists are agreed that certain functions of the human body are controlled or affected by certain portions of the brain. The books and medical journals record many facts in proof ot this position. A blow on the head will cause partial or total loss of memory. or loss of speech, or loss of locomotion. or cause change of habit in the sufferer. An operation which relieves that portion of the brain of the pressure of the broken
 bone restores the patient There are too many recorded instances in proof of this fact to require enumeration. What is Of
 more importance, however. Is that cases are recorded where some abnormal mental or moral condition existing from birth. has been corrected by skilfull operation on the skull
 These being accepted facts. if the two instances of which we spoke at the out- set are true ,why may not certain crimi- nal instincts and habits be cured by operating on that portion of the brain which governs the evil propensity exist ingg In other words, If accidental pres sure of portion of the skull develops Gertain propensities, why may not natural pressure have the same result? And if removal of the obtruding accidental frag- ment removes the evil propensity, why may 1t not have like effect when the natural obstruction is removed?
 Now. we are not wanting any discus sion with the medical and surgical ex- perts, because we are not as well up in those branches of human knowledge as we claim to be on some others. We are referring to what has been done, and asking if the triumphs of science may
 not be vastly extended. We know that reformation. and not punishment. is the desire of all lovers of humanity. For
 the safety and welfare of society at large some criminals must be punished,
 but unless the punishment Is death, how
 rarely is a cure effected? If the thief,
 the burglar, the robber goes to prison for a term of years. it is.seldom that he
 comes out any better than he went Tn,
 except as the recollection of his punlsh- ment may make him more wary in the
 future. Cannot, the law punish him and
 science cure him?
 But 1t is in the interest of the youthful
 criminal or degenerate that this plan
 should be exerted,' If there is anything in
 1t. The humanitarian everywhere grieves
 over the criminal propensities of the youth. All the States. or many Of them l have reformatories or other institutions where the youth of both sexes may be
 saved from themselves and prevented
 from becoming a menace to society. They
 are taken in, educated and restored, as far as possible, but this Is a tedious and expensive operation and is not always
 successful. If a surgical operation will remove the criminal instinct and make
 a good citizen of the embryo criminal, will 1t not be better for the latter and for society at large? If this reasoning
 and logic isn't sound, we should be glad to know wherein 1t Is faulty.