The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-06-26
WEIGHT OF BRAIN
DOES NOT DETERMINE INTEL
LIGENCE OF MAN.
May Be Defective in Part and Yet
the Person May Become Noted
for Mental Brill
ancy.

other factors besides brain weight
are known to influence intelligence. 1t
has long been known that the distin-
guished character of the human brain
is the large number of connecting
fibers by which it's cells are coor-
dinated. In no other species are they
SO numerous or complicated. The cells
constitute but very small part OF tho
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 a large cross
section in men who had shown great
ability. 1t is also known that the
brains of able men are likely to pre-
sent more convolutions and deeper
ones than the average, as if there
were more brain cells as well as more
connections. A few observations in
the lower races point to the fact that
their brains are 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 a class such
men do possess brains heavier than
the average.
The mistake arises from the 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 not
| prove that large brains are worthless
| and not indicative of mental power as
a 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 most
| 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 brain
weight of a few exceptional men
noted for limited abilities can reverse
the rule. Universities do not create
brains but merely train what exist SC
that the owners are better fitted fol
the battle of life Many a man is sem
to college who should be handling g
pick and shovel, and he never amounts
to much, even though he subsequently
makes his living at some very limited
| qnAeia1tv