Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1906-06-21
WEIGHT OF BRAIN
DOES NOT DETERMINE INTEL
LIGENCE OF MAN.
May Be Defective In Part and Yei
the Person May Become Noted
for Mental Brilli-
ancy.

Other factors besides brain weight
are known to influence intelligence. II
has long been known that the distin-
guished character Of the human brain
is the large number Of connecting
fbers by which its cells are coor-
dinated. In no other species are they
so numerous or complicated. The cells
constitute but very small part Of the
weight, says American Medicine.
There is now considerable evidence
that the same rule applies among in
dividual men and that those OF great
intelligence have more connections, so
that their cells can do more and bet
ter team work"
Some Investigations have shown the
corpus callosum to have large cross
section in men who had shown great
ability. II is also known that the
brains of able men are likely to pre-
sent more convolutions and deeper
ones than the average, as II there
we're more brain cells as well as more
connections. A few observations in
the lower races point to the fact that
their brains ara essentially different
in microscopic organizations, partly
accounting for less intelligence.
All these facts will fully explain
why men of intelligence in the higher
races may have brains not notably
heavy, but they do not disprove the
general statement that as class such
men do possess brains heavier than
the average.
The mistake arises from tho fail
ure to recognize that noted men who
have shown intellectual power not in
frequently were sharply limited to one
or two directions, being very defective
| In other directions.
Blind Tom was an IDIOT, In fact-an
extreme case of what is quite common.
at the other extreme was Gambetta,
! who was not much more than an
orator whose cerebral speech centers
were found to be highly developed.
The rest of his brain was small and
! his general intellectual power and
| judgments were decidedly defective,
Ability in one or two lines may make
man famous while he is really very
defective and his brain proves to be
small.
Heavy brains are not necessarily In
tellectual ones or elephants would be
in class of geniuses. The material
might also be pathologic and the pos
SCISSOR an imbecile.
1t often happens that men of big
brain and great ability suffer from
early neglect and are found in lowly
employments or may remain ignorant
through life. These few facts do moi
prove that large brains are WORTHLESS;
and not indicative of mental power al
rule. We can not get away from the
fact that man as an animal is supreme
because of his large brain, that among
races the brainiest are the highest and
that in any case one race the mos
intelligent as a rule are those who
have the most brains.
Men of small brains are not the lead
ers and no statistics Of the braiI
weight Of a few exceptional mel
noted for limited abilities can revers,
the rule. Universities do not Great
brains but merely train what exist s.
that the owners are better fitted 70
the battle of life. Many man is sen
to college who should be handling
pick and shovel, and he never amount
to much, even though he subsequent,
makes his living at some very limite
speciality.