East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-05-26

DFs D. ~ heDef DISCUSSES Cause of
Eye OBJECTIONS - Explains Brain
Activity and Various Mental pro-
cesses--Will Is the Entire Mind
Active, Declares Physician.
Delivering his fourth lecture before
the nurses of st. Anthonys' hospital
and the students Of st. Josephs aoad-
emy on the physiology Of the special
senses, DR.. d. n. Reber last evening
discussed not only the cause OF eye
defections but went into detail In cx-
planning brain activity and the vari
Gus mental processes. He said In
part:
I'm studying refraction or eye test
Ing We review the eye and also go in
side Of the brain and see what is taxi
ing place.
"At birth we are all far sighted.
As the child develops, the tension Of
the muscles moving the eye elongate
the globe until the distance from be-
fore back is in proportion to the pow
er Of the lens and we have normal
vision. II the eye remains too short
the lens muscle increases the power
Of the lens until exhausted to the ex-
tent that there is pain. headaches,
and lid troubles. In some cases
cross eyes with partial loss Of vision
In one eye, owing to atrophy OF the
cells in the visual area in the brain.
both conditions, the Strengthening Of
the cross eye and redeveloping the
lost vision may be accomplished by
making the vision normal with a.
glass.
IF the eye becomes too long the
focus for distance cannot reach the
point of greatest vision on the retinaI
and we are near sighted.
"In both far and near sight the
tention on the muscles may be out Of
balance and the cornea becomes long
er in one diameter than the opposite,
causing the light rays not to break
even as they pass through the lens.
This is astigmatism In the great ma
jority Of cases the latter disappears
when the former is corrected
"A reduced image is made on the
retina, this sensation is carried by
the optic nerve fibers TO the visual
area Of the brain. AS the brain cells
develop the child gradually comes TO
know the meaning of images which
are ideas. A train of mental images
with their meaning is the dawn ct
knowledge, heretofore the world has
been great big buzzing confusion.
Mind Processes.
TO understand brain activity we
must have in mind a few processes
and states.
Mind is the sum of our thoughts.
past and present. Consciousness is
mind at the present moment, a never
ceasing stream of processes that go
on as long as the body goes no living.
The states of mind are Attention, the
directing Of the Will. Will is the en-
tire mind active. Inhibition is the
blocking of one thought by another
| through deficient attention.
THE more important processes are
]
tion. They are exemplified in a sin
gle cell but realized by the simultan-
eous action Of consultations of cells
"A cell consists of the cell body
and its fibers, one fiber carrying slim.
uli or nerve current away from the
cell and another carrying sensation to
the cell, the special sense cells hav.
ing only sensory and collateral fibers
From the cell are fibers called Axcns,
from the sensory fiber are fibers call
ed IDENTIFIES, loose connection of the
two is called the synapse. The mole
cular vibration within the synapse IS
brain activity, governed by the Law
Of Habit, A tendency of nerve tis-
sue TO do or be what it has done or
been on some previous occasion.
THE collateral fibers are the asso.
citation fibers of Flesching. Their de-
velopment is the principal part of
memory not only within a constella
ton but in associating numerous con-
stellations.
Memory is divided into two events
I van eAh AAAANa NoA bENWCNhs III AiAb
first event is the directing of atten-
ton, and forming an association with
the intention Of recall later, in the
earlier stages of development the
foundation is laid by repetition as in
learning the multiplication table. In
teaching the alphabet by the associa-
tion of image with idea, the word
method, has superseded the repeti-
tion method. Educational systems
progress as psychological methods de
velop in the minds of instructors.
'The seeoud event is the reproduc-
tion of past experiences by the sim
rultaneous association of two or more
ideas or thoughts present in con-
scieusness, bringing into view a for
mer thought. The action within the
synapses has occurred again.
Imagination is the ability to recall
facts and thoughts so rapidly and &C
curately that new thoughts will occur.
The difference between individuals is
their power Of Imagination. The in
ventors, writer's and artists are the
geniuses Of the world, their brains
have reached out into the unknown
vasts and wrought all human mir
acles.