Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-04-17

III a very ~
small one, i'm
h g vicinity
Of so m i J.
lonthS of a .. ! l.lll|
volt, rising to Mn f'NN"
possibly 200 millionthS.
However. you should not be
surprised that scientists can pick
up such a small voltage.
A good radio set operates on
voltages that small, picking
them out Of the ether.
DR.. 4. j. Derbyshire operates
the brain wave machine At
Harper.
II Il very much like radio
set In principle, but instead Of
an aerial IL has "A collection Of
wires which are attached Ia the
patients head.
The patient doesn't feel any
thing.
All the electricity in the wires
f. the electricity that comes
from his head.
But the other end Of the ma
Achino that's something else
The tiny current Is ampllfed
a million times or so.
i could be hooked 10 a loud
speaker. in which case II would
give a tluttery. rafting noise,
Instead. however. they hitch II
10 a movable pen which draws a
wary line on moving paper
tape.
That juggling line is the hand
writing Of your brain.
What's II good for:
In medical language, IL tells
whether your brain II the type
that il subject er potentially
subject 10 "paroNySmal cOnvul-
sive disorders"
That can mean ftS. various
forms ~ epilepsy, signs Of tu-
morS, various infections Of the
brain. and In some cases. mi
CRANE nfAuAfnts.
These maladieS have tortured
mankind and bafiIed doctors for
hundreds of years.
As long as 800 years ago,
physicians, such aS they were.
told their patients 10 eat pow
dered bone from human skulls.
Hans Christian Andersen told
Of seeing victims OF fits drinking
the blood of freshly slain men.
Another ancient doctor recon-
mended boring a hole with
red-hot iron in a patients skull.
This painful method was &C
cepted by patients who would do
almost anything in hope OF GET
ting rid Of the devils inside
them or tho binding headaches
that made life miserable
Now doctors look" inside
brain by attaching a few wires
10 the patients scalp.
. Incidentally. some people StIll
- afraid Of tho brain wave
machine.
They attribute 10 il powers
thatit does not possess.
Some think u can read their
thoughts II can't
After all the electric current
is the total current which COMES
from millions OF different brain
If YOU listen 10 football
crowd yelling can YOU tell what
any one person L. shouting . 40.
With a brain wave II is the
same only harder
Even if they could take the
electricity from single cell.
there's no reason 10 think that
the electricity could show what
you are thinking.
For instance suppose a man
talks and YOU take a paper bag
and catch the breath that he
uses.
You have tho breath but YOU
can't turn " into words
The electrical impulses Of the
brain are something like the
breath YOU talk with.
For another thing many peo-
pie with fits or epilepsy are
afraid that the machine will
show that they are insane.
Wrong again.
In the first place, these people
are usually sane.
In the second place. a man
can he crazy a. B~dbug and
still have a normal brain wave.
This machipe shows sickness,
not insanity.
However, 1t will show when
you are thinking
If you relax completely your
brain wave. as the pen sketches
II on the paper tape, will be an
~ wave.
ODr Derbyshire says:
"HOw much IL four and four ."
The moving pen goes litter
bug.
II shows the effort OF even a
simple thought.
on one tape | saw quite a
large bump in the inky line.
What's that mean ." I asked.
That" said Dr. DerbyShirc.
ooh, that's when the patient
blinked his eve"