Evening star., 1938-09-14
PIGS BRAIN HELD
SUPERIOR TODOG'S
Study Of G. U. Scientist
Reveals Degree Of
Intelligence.

"SSNuISSbtOVs
The. poor barnyard pig. condemned
BY man to q short life of fat indo-
lence, has q good, old-fashioned brain
better than . dogs and almost as
well developed as that of a monkey
Such is the finding of an intensive
anatomical study Just reported by DR.
solnitsky Of the Georgetown Uni
versity School Of Medicine, whose brain
laboratory Is one Of the chief points
Of interest at the annual alumni clinic
this week.
Dr.. Solnitsky chose for special study
the pigs thalamus. This Is large
mass Of brain buried under the cere-
bral cortex. or top of the brain. where
all the higher processes Of mental life
60 on. In the evolution of the man.
NAL race this thalamus at one stage
was the highest brain center, the re-
ception center for all incoming i'm
pulses OF sight, sound. smell and taste
and the place where all behavior was
integrated.
In the higher apes and man it has
largely been superseded by the cerebral
cortex, but has been kept in reserve,
like . kerosene lamp in an elec-
trically lighted house, for emergency
use. Incoming impulses still go to
the thalamus, which relays most of
them to the top of the brain, the
brightly lighted room of conscious
ness. When anything happens to
prevent this relaying, as when nerve
fibers degenerate or in some intense
emotional states, the Thalamus still is
able to function as the highest CEN
ter and mans behavior degenerates
to the level Of lower animals.
Brain Integrations.
One Is hardly conscious Of brain
integrations which take place in the
thalamus. Stimuli from the outside
set up reflex, automatic acts, beyond
the control Of the will. Only a very
dim light of reason flows from this
thalamus to illuminate the world.
The degree to which the integra-
tive functions of the thalamus have
been superseded by the higher CEN
ters is a good index of the standing
Of the animal in the evolutionary
scale, and, DR.. Solnitsky's study shows,
the pig stopped about half way be-
tween the flesh-eating animals, such
as the dogs. cats and bears, and the
primstes whose brains have developed
into the human.
Fortunately for itself in the life
it is condemned to lead, DR.. Solnitsky
finds, the pigs life remains largely
regulated by the thalamic brain. The
area where are located the relay cen
ters to the cerebral cortex. very large
and highly differentiated In the great
apes and man. remains small and
generalized. On the other hand, the
reception centers. which are all run
together in the human brain so that
1t is difncult to diferentiate those
with different functions, in the pigs
thalamus are very sharply dif1eren-
tiated. They can be localized almost as
sharply as sight, sound and movement
centers in the human cerebral cortex.
The thalamic areas from which i'm
pulses are transmitted to the muscles
and glands also are very well. deval-
oped.
Translated into terms Of the pig 8
conscious life, DR.. Solnitsky says. this
means that the animal has q rather
dim consciousness. performing auto
matically many acts which supposedly
result from will and reasoning in hu-
man beings. The creature sees and
hears, having as good eyes or ears as
man, but the things it sees and the
sounds it hears do not have much
meaning to it. 1t doesn't worry over
anything because it hasn't got the
relay centers which would transmit
what it sees and hears into worry
ing centers Of the brain, which, in any
event. are quite poorly developed.
Move Toward Intelligence.
The Dig. DR.. Solnitsky finds, has at
tanned the status of an extremely eff
cient thaiamic brain animal At the
same time II shows distinct advance
toward intelligence. Although recog-
ni5ed from other characteristics, such
As its teeth. IS being a distinct ap-
proach toward the primates in the
evolutionary scale, the Georgetown
anatomist points out, the pig in the
past has been strangely neglected by
students Of comparative brain anat-
omy, which Is the basis of behavior.
The study of the pigs thalamus is
the first Of q series of studies being
carried out at the Georgetown labora-
tory on the "old brains of a large
group Of animals in the evolutionary
scale in order to get comprehensive
picture Of the progress of mental life
with the development of the species.
Like all other animals with the ex-
ception of man sand possibly the great
apes. the pigs brain is now fixed,
capable Of little If any further de-
velopment. The animal has accepted
its status in the pattern Of life. Pigs
not only "is pigs" but will always re-
main pigs while there is no certainty
that man will always remain man,
mentally speaking.
The Georgetown alumni devoted the
morning to looking at the exhibits of
the various laboratories and watching
surgical operations at Georgetown.
Providence and Gallinger Hospitals.
Divorce Weds Brother-in.Law.
CHICAGO R).-Four months ago
Mrs. Edna Riesen, rs, divorced Edwin