The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1908-04-23
IMPORTANT ANALYSIS
BRAIN OF MURDERER TO BE
ANALYZED AND Dis
CUSSED.

Philadelphia, April 23-Physi-
clans. scientists and servants from
nearly all the important universities
and large cities of the country will
take part in a discussion of impor-
tant topics during the general meet
Ing of the American Philosophical
Association, which was opened here
today and will extend through to-
morrow and Saturday.
One of the most important adj
dresses of the meeting, ii is expect
ed will be that of DR.. E. A. Spitzka,
who has chosen for his subject, COB
servations Regarding the Infliction
OF the Death Penalty by Electricity"
DR.. Spitzka is a member of the
faculty of Jefferson Medical college,
an authority on anthropometry and
on mental processes and diseases
and the man who, within fifteen min
utes after Chester Gillette went to
his death in the electric chair at Au-
burn, n. Y, had removed and made
a scientific examination of the brain
of the young man executed for the
drowning of his sweetheart, Grace
or billy" Brown. in Big Moose lake,
July IL, 1906.
1T was thoroughly successful
execution" said DR.. Spitzka only
one contact was necessary, and
was enabled to remove and examine
the brain between ten minutes and
quarter of an hour after the con-
demned man had been pronounced
dead
So far as the resulting eXamina-
ton went, | can safely say that Gil
lette's brain was thoroughly normal
| used the prison scales in weighing
1t, and it's weight was 1-2 ounces
avoirdupois, which is rather heavy
and may be said to place the brain
among the larger sort. I was, at
any rate, that of typical, healthy
American lad of his age"
DR.. Spitzaka has made charts and
drawings of Gillette's brain and
skull, which will be exhibited at the
present meeting
From this outline of the skull"
he continued you will see that it
was a fairly good-sized head The
circumference of the head was So
centimeters From ear to ear, meas
uring over the crown of the head, the
distance was 3 centimeters, and the
space between the pupil of the eye
62
Neltner OF these measurements,
or of the other which | made, point
toward abnormality. Therefore, as
death by electricity does not affect
the brain tissues or structure for
immediate examination, my personal
belief is that Chester Gillette was a
quite sane and healthy man
Among the other papers and speak
ers on the program of the meeting
are Art and Ethnology," by Edwin
Swift Balch of Philadelphia; Photo
graph of Daniels Comet by Prof.
f. f, Barnard of Yerkes Observa-
tory, Williams Bay Wis; "Mediae-
val German Sculpture in the German
Museum of Harvard University" by
Prof. kuno Grancke of Cambridge;
'Goethes Private Library as an In
dex of His Literary interests by
Prof Waterman T. Hewett of Ithaca,
n Y; Recent Discovers in the
Pathology of Rabies" by Mazyck
p. Ravenel, NJ. d. of Madison Wis;
Progress of Demarcation of the
Boundary between Alaska and Ca
NADIA, by Prof. O. H. Tittman of
Washington.
The Friday evening lecture will
be on Results of the American
Museum Exploration in the Fayum
Desert of Northern Egypt" by Prof
Henry F. Osborn president of the
American of Natural History.