Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-10-28
MECHANICAL WONDERS.
Human Brain More Wonderful ina"
Any Machine Ever Built.

cn1t task to pick out WhieH o'ie VI 'i't
mechanical wonders would be the iiose
marvellous. From the glgantlc stei'
shovel digging the Panama saiia''
down TO the compact adding haeiihe'
80 ,,astinahle use to accountants. We
e,;, MANY ingenious devices, any one
80 v.hieh might claim the honor VI
being the most wonderful machihe,
p,,. there is one machine when sur,
nasses thcm all Indeed, II cfea'eu
~, r.a al, and in the future Will un-
sa,htealv = create many far more won
ao,e,,, machines Its invention ls hoe
raearf,ea in the patent offices 1or IL
existed long before these.
No one can do more than guess at
the beginning of this wonderiul ma
chine. It's origin is shroudeo IN ehe
dim past. long before the prehls.oric
ora The early arts of all the ear
est people bear its marks. Is re-
corded in the pyramids. and even the
snh;nx speaks plainly of 1t. Ihe pedu-
tiful sculptures and the deep pnltos-
onhv of the Greeks show its hlgh de-
yalonment. and the marveis OF our
own dav tell as that the most won
aerfnl machine of all is that WHICH
araated them-the human brain.
rr,,a il is far more than q mere
oh;na for there is a spirit which
oontrols it and directs its Workings
but it is only of the mecpaiiieai POI
,hat we would speak atNpreseh,.
To learn mere of the inner
of that organ. which THINKS anu ..a
rios ont ideas, has long attrae'eo
earnest study of scientists. II 49, NV
aver so intricate. so uiiiicui.
nroach and so closely tansieu
sn,rit that it has eluded the sea-
nghts of science and still remains
mystery unsolved.
Nany ingenious ana
ynasses have been MADE, anu
thipos found out about the praii' =.
49,. haen found that the brain Is ia
,.;sad into many departments, all uii-
aar the control of the spirit. nloin
tha;r resnective centers go 1orth tug
nerves to the eyes, ears, hhseio'
and these nerves keep the BRAIN III
formed Of what Is going on III the
world. Just consider for a moment
that everything that everyone knows
or ever will know, on this earth mas
come and will come, to them throasn
For example, let us consider the
oua We have learned in our studies
Of physiology that, the eye is i,he !"
camera: that the lens IN IRON. .o +
es the image on the retina, W'iisn -
dense network of tiny nerves, s"
cred together so as to INFORM 'he "
tic nerve, and this nerve goes p,,t
ta the optical section of the oraln ~ ~
haw does the image focuseu
| retina. go back to the praih
| Wonderful still. how does tue
+, interpret this nerve stinluia.io'
an irnpression of the image,
in every detail, and glowing Win es
| erv color? That is the great p.mHls ,.,1.,
attomnts have been made TO hhei
! the optic nerve to an electric wire, az
~ consider an electric current as
' ;ne tho carrier of the sensations. to'
ma,y reasons, this view seems
probable. - :. - at in
torastinr and may prove to pc COZ
ract. Is that the nerves are coinposs
80 ohemicals of such a constitute.
| th.+ thew NAV be easily changed. -
O. fa,,,,iar example Of similar chaneo
;s s,,nnowder. This is an uns.ap'e
| chemical mixture, and the appA'
tion Of a little heat is sutnclent ~
cause an explosion, resulting IN . hs"
! condition Of chemicals. 80, 80.
| In the same way. our theo'y sis
noses the nerves to contain chenne
. which are far more unstable than sax
/, nowder, so much so that, N Me axe
1 ample given, the nerves OF 1ns 70. 30
ray of light is sufficient 70 cnane a,,na
the chemical nature Of the con,pou T,,s
=. the end Of the nerve instantly. me 20
com oound is also SO sensitive ina. rho ho
tu,o Things make the same change, IF ~
violence with which. each partlals @
! no CHEMICALS of the n0ve cnans as !"
) cansrs the next one also to exp,ous, .ha
or change, and so on, throushou. .a M
length Of the nerve. so thai .n .na
weston travels from the ret''i' ~
brain. .h;s breaking
/ To counterbalance TINS p.. 1853
down nature has provided ,aS PIE re-
of instantaneous rebuilding whi.n ~ ,ts
stores o. each part Of the nerve 70 ocss ~
original state. Sometimes the shoe~s Ss
"a the breaking down come IN SUI"
u -.lI a -