Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-13
LARGE BRAINS


sarily associated with a big mind?
The human brain consists of five ma
jor divisions, which, though intimately
connected, are severally distinct as to
function says the New Orleans Times
Democrat.
Named from below upward these
parts are the medulia, pons, midbrain,
cerebellum and cerebrum All parts or
the brain are permeated by nerve f1bers
and are therefore concerned in the
transmission of nerve impulses; but at
least three parts are primarily occupied
with other business.
The medulia, which is the stalk-llke
connection between the brain and the
spinal cord, contains nuclei of nerve
cells, which propel the heart lungs,
blood vessels mad so on. The pens is
broad band of fibers, which serve to
connect the right and left sides of the
base of the brain.
The midbrain is the forked upward
extension of the medulia, prong pass
ing into each of the great hemispheres
of the cerebrum, and, like the pons, the
midbrain is chiefly a conducting por-
ton of the brain.
The cerebellum. or "litte BRAIN" lies
under the back part of the cerebrum
and on the top of the pons. 1t is the
regular or voluntary muscular motion.
An animal deprived of its cerebellum
can move, feel and think, but cannot
control it's movements.
Finally. we come to the cerebrum,
the largest division of the brain, which
overhangs the other four divisions in
the form of two big convoluted hemf-
spheres divided by a deep longitudinal
fissure. In these hemispheres reside
the physical mechanism of conscious
ness-reason, feeling, will. Here let
us observe that of the five parts of the
brain only one. the cerebrum, has to
do with the intellect. In fishes the
cerebrum is the smallest part of the
brain.
Accordingly, though the whale has
a larger brain than man, most of the
brethren of Jonah are possessed of
higher intelligence than is exhibited
by the largest of fishes. The whale
has more brains, but man has more
cerebrum.
A cross section of the cerebrum
shows that this part of the brain is
made up of a large core of white nerve
fibers and comparatively thin rind
of nerve cells or gray matter
In animals of low intelligence, ro-
dents, for example, the coating of gray
matter is comparatively smooth over
the surface of the cerebrum. But In
higher animals the gray matter is seen
to dip down into grooves and f1ssures
now and then, an ARRANGEMENT which
requires more gray matter to cover
a brain Of given size than is required
TO cover the smooth brain of a rat.
Tn man the Unfolding of gray matter
is carried to high degree of complex
ity RUt in idiots the brain is smooth
er and less convoluted than in intellf-
gent men. consequently an imbecile
might have a larger cerebrum than
a bright man, but less gray matter.
The brains of chillren are less con-
voluted than those of their elders.
Another feature of the case is that
the amount of cerebration is largely
dependent upon the amount of blood
circulating in the cerebrum. An indi
vidual possessed of a large and we'll
convoluted cerebrum might be so ham
dicapped by a feeble heart and poor
nutrition as not to measure up to the
average mental standard
The average white mans brain
weighs from forty-nine to fifty ounces.
More delicate of frame and faculty.
the members of the fair sex come next
with an average brain weight of for
ty-three to forty-five ounces.
The smallest human brains are
found in Central Africans. And the
average civilized infantile brain, at
BIRTH weighs from ten to twelve
proportion to the body than obtains
in the adult.
Some of the largest brains on record
belonged to lunatics Several of these
weighed upward of sixty ounces ana
one weighed sixty-four and one-half
If, however, a large brain does not
necessarily mean a large intelligence,
it certainly does not necessarily indi-
cate a small intel1igence