The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-03-23

(COntlnueQ from page One)
must have the right amount. This
brings us to the newest wonder of
operations on the head that makes
feeble minded children normal. In
order to understand how this is pos
sible it is necessary to recall a few
simple mechanical principles. If you
were to hold one hand high above
your head half minute you will find
that it is white and seemingly blood
less, while the one that hung at
your side is flushed and full veined.
For blood like water, tends to run
down hill. So it makes it necessary
that our brain be in an air tight case
to resist air pressure. If it were not
thus, we would not be able to raise
our head above the level Of the body
without most of the blood running
out of the brain like it does the
hand when raised. A brain without
blood would be entirely useless as it
would not register sensations or en-
gender ideas.
The skull is not all that is needed
to keep the brain active. The blood
once pumped into this air tight skull
would stay there if something did not
come to take it's place. Like the
water coolers used in offices, where
air is let into the inverted bottle to
equalize the pressure, lymph is the
equalizer in our brain, oozing through
the wells of the arteries when they
contract and oozing out again when
the wells expand. The slightest mod
ifcation in this blood flow brings a
change in the activity or character
of the mental processes. The slight
est interference with the normal con-
dition of pressure, equilibrium may
be disastrous. A slight flow on the
causing it to press on the part of
the brain that controls our speech.
This interferes with the supply of
blood at this point, not causing the
person to lose consciousness, but
making him unable to recall words.
A pressure an inch or more aboI the
ear affects the locomotlon; if on the
left side the right arm and leg are
affected, while if on the right the left
leg and ARM
A hole cut in the skull and ele
waited or removed restores the normal
pressure so that the individual re-
covers the normal functions OF speech
or muscular action. This is a very
old operation called trephining. In
prehistoric America the Aztecs did it
to remove an arrow point that had
partially penetrated the skull. Now
they have gone through the mem
brane covering the brain. relieving
the pressure caused from within. AT
first they tried to relieve this inside
pressure by going only through the
skull case so were not successful,
and such an idea was condemned,
and it was thought there was no re-
lief for children with a clot Oh the
brain.
This clot is caused by an injury
to the head during birth. Because
the skull of the infant is not closed
it is not subject to the same laws OF
pressure as later when solid. Thus
the symptoms of hamorrhase beneath
the membrane are not at first pro-
nounced. In fact it is only noticeable
when the child is old enough to hold
ITS head up aud cannot, or is not
progressing in the physical way like
other children of its age, such as the
legs aimless]y crossing one another
Also the parents find that the child is
mentally backward, being three Or
four years old and not able to talk.
When young surgeon, DR.. William
Sharpe, came out three or four years
ago with the plan of going through
the membrane he met great opposi
ton, but this weakened when he
brought forth evidence. A prelim-
mary report on the new work was
published in Nov. 1913, at which time
twelve operations had been perform
ed. the number growing to almost
$50 at the present time.
The method he used was this: A
piece of the skull the size of half a
dollar is removed over the temple.
When the membrane is opened the
cerebral fluid surrounding the brain
exudes, sometimes spurts few
inches, thus relieving the pressure.
The muscles and integuments are re-
placed SO we'll that there is not a
fracture. II there is an excessive