The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-07-02
GAVE BRAINS TO SCIENCE.
More Similar Requests Wanted
A Strong Demand.

II may not be generally known
that over the civilized world there Is
strong demand for brains that are
little above the average in quality,
not intelligence, intellect, or genius,
but 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 bet
ter to dissect than the brains of pau
pers and lunatics These, however
leaveln much TO be desired, and II Is 70
the interest of tire human family
that The brains OF cultured and
learndsl people should be placed ut
= thei disposal of those patient and la
borious men who are engaged in the
vastly important work OF unravelllng
the secrets of the working OF the
mind.
But 1t must not be supposed that
certain number of such brains are
not forthcoming Comparatively
speaking, they are few but still
more numerous than most people
imagine. In the great majority of
cases they are bequoathed by their
respective owners. On one occasion
Sir William Fowler, the famous au-
thority on comparative anatomy in
addressing an audience OF cultured
men and women spoke of the din
culties he and his fellow workers had
to contend with in having little else
than brains OF people OF low intoil9ct
to dlssect, and went so far as TO apr
peal to the audience to help science
In this matter in the only possible
way.
On the conclusion Of his address
several members OF the audience. in
Guiding few ladies', promised to be-
uueath their brains to him, and, IL Is
said, proved as good as their word,
More than one man Of great emf
nence has regarded 1t as something
in the nature of a duty 70 do this in
the interest OF science Prof Gold
win Smith, for instance some time
ago formally willed his brains to
Cornell University,
Some remarkable brains have been
sold. not given An Engi!ahman who
calls himself Datas has disposed of
his to an American university for
$4,000. He is a man Of little cdu-
cation, and for many years worked
as coal miner But he has mar
valloaa memory especially for dates.
and is now earning a handsome in
come on the music hall stage ANY
member OF the audience may ask him
the date OF some occurrence, and is
answered instantly. II Is considered
that his brain must show some very
unusual development, and there was
not a little bidding to secure it after
death.
1t stands to reason that the brain
of a man Of intellect Offers much
richer field for obserya ION than the
brain Of a pauper or some other hui
man derelict. The besi1s Of great
men vary very much, more, in fact,
than do those Of nouentitiae II tsT
IUana that men Of encyclopaedia
mind have large and heavy brains
Gladstone had to wear very big
hat-with an enormous bed OF gray
matter and numerous conyolutions;
on the other hand, men whose genius
is concentrated upon one line Of
are Of small brain, and con
sequently have small head
Newton, Byron and Cromwell be-
longed to this class, ana each had a |
small head Yet many people mag |
inc that this is sign Of small men
tai capacity. A visitor who was
shown the skull Of Cromwell nas SO
at It's size that the care
takcr OF the relic endoayored to con
sole MIN by saying shat this was the |
skull OF the great Roundhead when 1
ho was a boy. Prof Symes-Thomp- |
son told this enccdote IN recent lee
tu-e. and be also mentioned taat
Newton was so small when born that
he could put inside a quart poi