The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-01-21

other. generally in it's 'cannot-spell
form.
You have probably frequently
had days when the simplest word,
have mixed themselves up horribly
when you have tried to recall them.
You write the letters in the wrong
order, or you have frankly to confess
that you are at a loss to tell how
many It's" there are in some simple,
everyday word that normally you
write without hesitation a score OF
times day.
The next time that this occurs to
you, think. You will find that you
are overtired or excited. In some
ways your nervous system has been
subjected to an unusual strain, and
the symptoms of nerve fag are show
ing on you in a simple form of
aphasia.
You will also find sometimes that
you mix your words in speaking. you
create what they tell me are known
as, "Spoonerisms," instead of cattle
ships and bruisers," instead of bat
tleships and cruisers" Or you use
words the absolute opposite to those
you wish to express.
Only to-day man talking to me
of the youthful appearance of
mutual friend, said, He looks ola
enough to be his own father; he
meant young enough to be his own
SON. The same man shortly after
ward referred to wedding as a
funeral, and was quite unconscious
of his mistake.
In it's more serious forms aphasia
means complete loss of memory and
utter inability to speak or write in
telligibly. | have seen men attempt
to write and only produce a mean
ingless string of letters, try to speak
and make only incoherent sounds.
IN each case they knew what they
wanted to say, but the nerves that
command the muscles which should
have put their thoughts into written
or spoken words were tired out and
refused to obey the orders of the
brain.
The ever-increasing number of
cases reported weekly in the newspa-
pers of people found wandering, un-
able to recall their own names and
addresses or identities, is a proof of
what l say.
And every man has his own eX
periences, too. Men will suddenly
forget telephone numbers they use
every day, lines of songs they have
sung since childhood, the names of
their houses, their railway stations,
or of mutual friends. Absent-mind
edness it used to be called now we
term it aphasia.
Aphasia is not necessarily to be
considered sign of insanity; it is
certainly not so in the majority of
cases. 1t is merely a symptom of
nervous disorder, mental fatigue, or
exhaustion generally.
The brain is a huge and almost
limitless storehouse of facts Each
thing we learn we store up in cell
of the brain, and each fact can be
recalled, extracted from the brain
cell in which it is piled, so to speak,
by an effort of will.
Normally, that effort is uncon-
scious; we think automatically, and
our brain responds with wonderful
regularity. The nerves that run
from the brain centre, like tele-
graph wires, conveying the message
from the brain to the particular Or
gan that is to carry out it's desires,
are seldom at fault in the healthy
human being.
But when fatigue, overuse or
shock comes to disorganize this Won
derful and intricate telegraph" SER
vice the nerve wires" fail.
Write cat" says the brain cell
The message is conveyed to another
cell where the familiar word Is
stored, and thence to the muscles
of the hand which are to write it,
Should those nerve wires" be eX-
hausted the message, as on a dis
ordered telephone, becomes jumbled.
The hand writes "tac," though the
brain thinks "cat." This is rough
ly an example of what happens.
Rest is usually the remedy. A
good nights sleep will correct the
similar disorders, though a long
more serious cases, when the brain
and the overused nerves have to be
coaxed back to order again.
The strenuous life of modern cit
les is responsible for this ailment
the perpetual work and worry that
put upon the most delicate of or
ganisms a strain far greater than it
can bear.
But the serious forms of aphasia
seldom come without warning
Watch your "can't-spell-to-night"
symptoms and rest in time, and you
will then escape all danger of find
ing yourself one day wandering in
an unfamiliar street, realizing sud
denly that your name and all your
most familiar tastes and feelings
have become to you just blanks.
HUMAN LIFE FOR JANUARY, 1910.