Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-06-20


~ human body 80 far as heart. lungs.
stomach, kidneys and most Of the other
important organs are concerned
But inside the bony shell of the skull IL
tho nobcst and the most mysterious OF all
the brain. Unfortunately science knows
very little about the brain. the most im.
por,ant OF all the organs OF the human
body.
From The earliest time the brain has
been the subject Of interest to mankind
Savagcs realized the Importance OF the
brain and by observation arrived at many
crude but fairly accurate guesses AZ to the
simpler functions OF the brain. OF late
years specialists have spent their lives
trying to solve the mysteries OF the brain.
DR.. Joseph Simms, one of the oldest Stu
dents OF tho mysteries OF the brain, died
the other day in New York and bequeathed
his head and the contents thereof TO his
fellow brain specialists. DR.. Simms was
eighty-Eeven years old and for seventy
years he had focussed his mind on the
brain and the skull and the features of the
human face.
Dr. Smms dated back to the earlier
times when the study OF the skull. known
as phrenology. had Il respectable scientific
standing. But the advances O. scientific
experimentation showed that the bumps Of
the Uranium might or might not have any
relation to the peculiarites OF the brain
that lay underneath the skull.
DR.. Simms also was Il student OF the old
pseudo-science OF physiognomy, and be.
lievcd that the eyes, the mouth the nose
the ears--all OF the features-hnd g. direct
relationship to the brain. He believed
that the individual pccularitics of the hu.
man being were usually reflected in strik.
ing peculiarities OF the features OF the face
DR.. Edward A Spitzka, perhaps the fore
most brain specialist In America, is tho
happy possessor OF the skull and brain OF
his late friend, Dr. Joseph Simms. The
newest and greatest treasure In DR..
SpitZka's New York laboratory Is the brain
OF his old friend. Brains OF miscellaneous
corpses from the morgue are easy enough
to obtain. But their previous history ia
usually unknown and they are seldom
brains OF highly cultivated persons. The
special value of DR.. Simms's brain lies in
the fact that he was not only man Of
scholarly attainments. man OF rare cul.
ture, but he had specialized on this pecu-
liar subject OF the brain.
Never before has the brain specialist
had the good fortune TO get under his mic.
Toscope the brain cells OF such subject
1t will take not less than two years OF in
tensve study to exhaust all the possibili-
ties of examination OF this brain. What
will the two years research into the late
Dr. Simms's brain reveal to science?
Sixty years ago physiognomy Hourished,
and with it phrenology. Professors, both
spurious and authentic, toured the coun-
tries OF Europe and America, giving lee.
lures and readings" Learned bodies in
vestigated, held lengthy discussions, gave
out exhaustive reports. Trestises were
written--didactic volumes setting forth
just what qualities emotions and faculties
of the individual we're shown by each hu.
man feature and projection OF the skull.
Lombroso combined physiognomy and
chronology and produced his famous the.
DRY of criminology. DR.. Simms lectured
on physiognomy in the United States,
Great Britain and Australia and was
elected to membership in scientific organ.
izations of high standing. Darwin was
getting ready to publish his Origin of
Species" Huxley had not yet ARRIVED"
few years later when Huxley and Oar
win were famous names. DR.. Smms
ranked equally high in certain quarters
And now physiognomy is thing of the
past 1t Is not recognized as n science
The library classification OF what few
books on the subject survive is under the
heading Occult Science-that is, no sci.
ence at all Lombroso is discredted-
curlously enough Dr.. S2itzka was the fore.
most OF his victorious opponents. Phre-
noogy is considered only in q humorous
light; the part of phrenologst is played
by the chief comedian in the revived
'Florodora.' or physiognomists only the
cousins, thrice removed, are left-voca.
tional advisers, SO called, who profess to
tell from the shape OF mans nose
whether he is best fitted for salesmanship
or farming. The names Of Lavater. Cali
Spurzheim, Simms mean nothing to the
present generation.
Yet there is something in physiognomy
7--some basis OF fact, however slight. I'm.
doubtedly a persons way of thinking
leaves its impress on his body, Just as his
way OF living does. Most Of us practise
physiognomy, more or less s,rbconscious.
~ We judge other people by their looks
to large extent We do not EXPECT to
hnd the aesthetic in the gross, thick.
tipped, big-nosed. heavily-jowled man. or
the brain Of poet in the undersfot, thick.
1awed bullet head Whether we realize It
or not, the size and shape of other peoples
features lead lis to appraise their char
acters, sometimes to serious degree And
our Judgment is correct, very often.
Physiognomy was the attempt to stan
dardize this habit Of Judging by looks.
Human features vary and human faculties
vary; there must be direct association
between features and faculties, the physi.