The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-12-04
n JMAN TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.
Our own Body Contains the Most Perfecs
OF all systens.

Our own Body Contains the Most Perfecs
OF all systems.
No doubt our little friends havo
learned pretty thoroughly She uses Of
the telegraph, and some Of them may
even have sent messages by this mag
ic link that binds the countrles Of tho
world so closely together. At any rate
you all know what wonderful in-
vertion II Is and of what great SER
vice II Is to all kinds Of people for
business and pleasure. But, wonderful
as 1t is you have q better and more
complete telegraph system in your
own body that Is in constant use. This
is the great network Of nerves that ex-
tends over every part Of your body.
missing not one little particle OF
space. II you stick pin in any por-
ton of your flesh you will immediate
ly feel pain. II you had not touched
some portion of this nerve network
you would have felt nothing. So you
can easily understand that the tele-
graph wires in your body form great
er and more perfect system than those
in all the rest Of the world put togeth-
or that are made by man.
The central station Of the nerve
telegraph system is in the brain ana
spinal cord. These are just like the
telegraph instruments that receive tho
little dots and dashes from the wires
and tell the operator what Is being
said to him. They receive and CLASSIFY
all the impressions that come in over
the telegraph wires of the nerves.
All through the body are little Jumps
OF nerve, called nerve cells. There
are millions of them. and they are SO
very small that they have to be mag
nifed hundreds of times to become
large enough to examine. These nerve
cells are connected by a mesh Of nerve
threads so very small that 1t would
take dozens OF them to equal the
thickness of spiders web. The nerve
threads cover every single bit Of the
body and are the real telegraph wires
of the system. The nerve cells are like
the little stations along the railroad
on tie way to the central office. Each
one OF these nerve cells is battery
all by itself. When a message Of some
sensation is flashed along the nerve
threads 1t passes through hundreds Of
nerve cells, or little stations, on Its
way to the central ofYlcrs, the brain
and spinal cord. AS the message pas.
ses through a nerve cell 1t receives q
shock from the battery Of that nerve
cell and Is sent on faster than before.
1t reaches another nerve cell and re-
ceives another boost along its way,
until finally II reaches the spinal cord
and tho brain.
The brain classifes each message II
receives and knows what to do with It.
It sends the message back to the end
of the nerve thread that started 1t, and
labels the message pain, pleasure. an
noyance, disgust. happiness, laughter,
Just as the case may be, SO that the
muscles around the end of the thread
will know just what to do when the
message arrives.
II you should burn your little finger
you would not feel any pain until the
message had been flashed from the
nerve threads in your finger through
the nerve cells to the brain and the
brain had classi1ed the message, la.
Belled pain in the little finger" and
sent II back. As the message passed
along the nerves through the musceis
OF your arm, they would read 1t and
shrink away from the heat and your
little finger would be jerked away
from the cause of the burn before you
felt the pain.
There are 80 many nerve threads
connecting the multitudes Of nerve
cells that sometimes a message from
the end of one nerve thread reaches
the spinal cord by hundred different
routes. This Is in case one or more
sets OF nerve threads should be out OF
working order. and so that the mes
sage should reach the brain in any
case.
The spinal cord is the main line to
the brain. 1t receives the messages
from the nerve threads and sends them
to the head operator. at the central
station, the brain. in double quick
time. II the spiLal cord should be
broken or otherwise ouc of order you
could feel no pain In any part of your
body except your head. II you should
break leg you would feel no pain in
that case. Moreover, you could not
move any part of your body. for when
the brain telegraphed an order to. for
instance. your feet to help you to
walk, the order would stop at the
broken place and your feet would new
er know what was wanted of them.