The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
WAS A HUMAN
THINKING MACHINE
Slave To Wisdom Has a Tragic
Death
AN OVER-EDUCATED BRAIN
Physicians Retain Brain Of Professor
Krewer as a Model for a Century
Henee-Knew All, But
Was Useless.
AN OVER-EDUCATED BRAIN

y
the brain of Prof Joseph w. Krewer,
a suicide, to the American Medical as
ISOLATION as a type of the man of 2O0S-
the human thinking machine.
The decision was reached following
clinic in which leading medical men
of Cook county participated. They met
to study the brain of the man, which
higher education had developed at the
expense of his heart.
They conceded that Prof. Krewer's
brain was a marvellous mechanism, the
triumphant product of years of study
and culture in the great universities of
Europe and America. But they con-
tended that as his mind expanded his
heart sh rank and his soul shriveled un-
til he attained the stage of an omni-
cient character-loveless. feelingless,
expressionless. fearless-and useless.
He was loveless because he did not
want to see his own mother. He did
not hate her. He simply ignored her.
The fact that he had once sucked at
her breast was nothing to him. She
was ignorant. She could teach him
nothing. Therefore he didn't want to
be annoyed by her.
He was without feeling because he
expressed no emotion. No human be-
ing had interest for him. He was
never known to utter an expression of
thing save mental development. He
was fearless in the manner he chose o:
seeking death. DR.. C. Pruyn String
field, who first was called when Knew
ers body was discovered at the Grand
Pacific hotel, says Krewer made q
BRAIN study of death even while in the
throes of it.
He was useless because he felt there
was nothing more on earth for him to
learn.
He had studied for the priesthood, then
rejected religion. He had mastered ten
languages. He was a marvellous lawyer,
a finished physician, learned in the fine
arts, an authority-of astrology, meteorol-
ogy, botany history
1T was this knowledge of his own use
lessness," says DR.. SPRINGFIELD, that
caused Prof. Krewer to seek death.
There was nothing more on earth toin-
terest him. He wanted to pry aside the
curtain that hides the hereafter, Krewer,
seeking death. was as sane as any man liz
the city of Chicago.
This should serve as a warning to
the nation which is evincng a daily ten
dency to neglect the manual arts for ov-
cr-mental Development"
Krewer's father is laborer. His moth
er Is supplemented, everyday house
wife. His brothers work with their
hands. His whole family is plain. He
was born in Chicago Al years ago. At the
time of his boyhood his father planned
to place him in a sawmll.
But the boy expressed a desire, nour-
ished by his mother, to enter the priest
hood. He went to Europe, was educated
at SarboHne with high honors. but re-
nounced all religion at the very hour
he was to have been ordained. He took
degrees later at Columbia university and
then at the Academic de Besanoin,
France. Bal
He then launched into career of indi-
vidual research serving as tutor to the
sons OF Marshall Field, Jr., and sons of
other Chicagoans of wealth at the uni
versity school. Later he taught at the
Flexner school and the university school
at Louisville. He often said that teach
ing was a drudge and that he only taught
that he might live and indulge In his
appetite for study.
His parents he cast off.
my son told me when he wanted to
see me he would send for me-" said the
mother. but he never sent. He lived
In expensive apartments on La Sale
avenue He often passed us without
speaking. Three years ago his brother
met him on the streets.
"He said: How do you do and passed
on Two years ago was the last time
you do and passed on.
HE was not ashamed of us. He said
so. He was not snob. He was simply
too engrossed in his study to want to be
bothered by us. He said people got on his
| nerves. He never looked at a woman.
He could not feel love. He never drank
| or smoked or INDUCED in vice. He hadn't
/ time"
Krewer's method of seeking death was
/ awful in its grim certainty. He went to
the Grand Pacific hotel Tuesday evening.
He had $2100 in his pockets He paid for
his room In advance. He had no bag
gage He went to his room, double
locked the door, closed the transom,
closed and locked all windows and drew
| the blinds tight He then turned on all
! the lights in the room.
! He had two bottles of chloroform,
bottle of carbolic acid, and a package of
rat poison. He took ounces of carbolic
acid, part of the rat poison, and emptied
one bottle of chloroform. He also slashed
his left wrist.
Eighteen hours later his body was
found When DR.. Struggled entered the
room he saw the body on the bed in
left hand were touching the pulse of the
right wrist. The right hand was over
the heart. The eyes were open, the face
intense. 1t was apparent that Krewer's
brain dominated to the last, seeking to
solve the mystery of death, to analyze
the last heart beat, to detect the final
pulse throb.
J. D. HILL Instructor in languages at
the University school at Louisville, at
which Krewer was the instructor in mod.
ern languages is in Chicago. He said
of his dead associate:
IF any man could be overeducated
at the expense of his personality or lu-
manity, it would be Krewer. He was IL
deep student.
"And there 1T began and ended. Per-
haps / was closer to him than any of
the other members of the faculty and I
was a bare acquaintance The man was
him to go out with a man or woman.
His attendance at the school social
| functions was perfunctory. He was
| taciturn, moody, and at times showed
decided evidences of melancho lia.
He would NOPE for days over
| triling neglect or affront which
| hearty, friendly man would have passed
\ by as nothing"
Gould he possibly have been in
lover? his brothers were asked last
evening.
I'm love? Why the man had no room
| in him for anything but his books and
manuscripts" one of them replied. II
never heard of his speaking to a wom-
an in even a friendly way. He was
all books and brains.
1.-TWO years ago he had a lawsuit
He had loaned a friend some money
n nd In, urQ n