The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-19
GAVE BRAINS TO SCIENCE.
More Similar Requests Wanted-Men
With Big and Little Heads.

From the Scientific American.
It may not be generally known that all
over the civilized world there Is a strong
demand for brains that are a little above
the average in quality; not intelligence
intellect, or genius. pu. literally that part
of the human organism which is contained
within the skull and Is known as the
brain.
Scientists who devote themselves to the
study of comparative anatomy have for
the most part nothing better to dissect
than the brains of paupers and lunatlcs
These. however, leave much to be desired
and 1t is to the interest of the human
family that the brains of cultured and
learned people should be placed at the
disposal of-those patient and laborious
men who are engaged In the vastly I'M
portant work of unravelling the seefets
of the working of the mind.
But 1t must not be supposed that GER
tain number of such brains are not forth
coming. Comparatively speaking. they are
few, but still more numerous than most
people imagine. In the great majority OF
cases they are bequeathed by their re-
spective owners. On one occasion Sir Will
liam Fowler, the famous authority on
comparative anatomy, in addressing an
audience of cultured men and women,
| spoke of the difficulties he and his fellow
workers had to contend with in having
little else than the brains of people OF
low intellect to dissect, and went SO lar
as to appeal to the audience TO help
science in this matter In the only pos
sible way
On the conclusion of his address several
members of the audience, including few
ladies', promised to pequeath their brains
to him, and 1t is said, proved as good as
their word. More than one man or great
eminence has regarded 1t as something
In the nature of duty to do this IN the
interest of science. Prof Goodwin smith,
for instance, some time ago formally
willed his brains to Cornell university
Some remarkable brains have been sold,
not given. An Englishman who calls HIM
self Datas has disposed of his to an
American university for $4,000. He is
man Of little education, and for many
years worked as a coal miner. But he has
marvellous memory, especially for
dates, and is now earning a handsome
income on the music hall stage. Any
member of the audience may ask him
the date of some occurrence, and Is an
swered instantly. 1t is considered that
his brain must show some very unusual
development, and there was not little
bidding to secure 1t after death.
1t stands to reason that the Draln OF
man of intellect offers a much richer field
for observation than the brain of a
pauper or some other human derelct
The brains of great men vary very much.
more, in fact, than do those of nonenties
1t is found that men of encyclopedia
mind have larg and heavy brains
gladstone had to wear very big hat
with an enormous bed of gray matter and
numerous convolutions; on the other
hand, men whose genius is concentrated
upon one line of thought are of small
brain, and consequently have a small
head.
Newton. Byron and Cromwell belonged
to this class. and each had a small head.
Yet many people imagine that this is a
sign of small mental capacity. A visitor
who was shown the skill of Cromwell was
so disappointed at It's size that the care
taker OF the relic endeavored to console
hing ~ saying that this was the skull of
the great Roundhead when he was boy.
Prof Smyes-Thompson told his anecdote
in recent lecture, and he also mentioned
that Newton was so small when born that
he could be put inside quart pot.