The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1906-12-20
BRILLIANT WOMAN OFFERS TO SELL
Her BRAINS TO HIGHEST BIDDER

PORTLAND, Dec. 20.-One of
the brainiest women of the Pacific
coast has put her brains on the
market She wants to sell the
ackpal contents of her Uranium.
She will surrender title to them
for the best offer.
The only stipulation she makes
is that she will retain a life inter-
est In them. At her death her
brains are to be the property of
, the purchaser.
This woman is DR.. Ella X. Dear
born, q woman of. diversified tai
ents, speaking several languages; a
physician, author and song writer;
socially accomplished and versed in
the domestic arts. DR.. Dearborn's
proposition is business one. She
wants to realize now upon her
brains in order that she may use
the money during her lifetime.
Says Dr. Dearborn: 1T is neces-
sary for the advancement of the
human family that the brains Of
cultured people be studied by anat-
Omists end students of psychology.
Anatom!sts experience great diff
Guilty in procuring normal brains
for dissecting purposes, most Of
those that come to the dissecting
rooms being the brains of people
of mental inferiority, usually
paupers and lunatics. There can
he no possible objection to having
ones brains studied after you are
dead, and so | do not feel any hes
itancy in offering mine to the high
est bidder, with the condition, Of
course, that l shall continue to
use them myself as long as | am
able. | expect to hear from experts
in this branch Of anatomy and will
deal with all bids directly"
OF late years DR.. Dearborn has
won a national reputation as a
writer upon health and hygiene and
wholesome living, her writing be-
ing marked by a forcefulness that
Indicates a vigorous intellect and
a strong style unhindered by con-
vention. The reasoning power ap-
pears to be especially well devel-
opel in her.
Scientists are nowadays, If any
thing, more keen to solve the
subleties of the brains functions.
All that has been done. and great
efforts have been made, have had
but inadequate results. The truth
of the matter is, the brain Is not
well understood, and research
seems to be practically baffled. vi
visection has been resorted to in
the extremity Of the anatomist's
fsA1osity. but this is necessarily
confined to dumb animals, and
what has been discovered In this
way has been applied to the hui
man brain merely by comparison.
One CT the things that is demon
strated is that the higher the in
telligence of the creature the more
the brain Is convoluted; that Is,
the more folds there are in the
brain. In the human brain an ef-
fort has been made to locate in
these various folds the separate
faculties of the mind and the seats
of control for the various muscles.
Some of this has been done in
rather a general, theoretical way.
Brain surgery has advanced to a
point where persons can be de-
prived of portion of their brain
and still live. One old fallacy was
that the weight of the brain in
variably matched the intellect of
the person; but, while some very
gifted men have had very large
brains. so have many persons of
feeble mind, so the rule does not
hold good. The secret of superior
ity seems to be in brain quality
which has not yet been identified.
II DR.. Dearborn's brain is pur-
chased and made the subject of
special study. 1t may be that some
of the qualities it has manifested
In life may be traced after death by
the scientists knife and miscro-
scope. At any rate. DR.. Dear
born is heartily willing that it be
attempted.