CHAPTER XV.

DUALITY DEMONSTRATED BY ANATOMY.

The Brain not the Sole Organ of the Mind. - Surgeon-General Hammond's Researches and Experiments. The Instinctive Faculties. The Subjective Mind acts independently of the Brain. - Instinctive Acts Performed after the Brain was totally eliminated. Children Born without a Brain perform all the Instinctive Functions. - The Medulla Oblongata and the Spinal Cord the Organs of the Subjective Mind. — Idiots without a Brain evince Talent for Music, Mathematics, etc.

THUS

HUS far the proofs adduced in support of the dual hypothesis have been confined to the facts of experimental hypnotism and the various other forms of psychic phenomena. This has been done for the reason that in themselves those facts are amply demonstrative of the truth of the hypothesis. But it has often been asked if the facts of cerebral anatomy, physiology, or experimental surgery throw any light whatever upon the subject. This is a pertinent question, because, if those facts are irreconcilable with the hypothesis, the latter must fail under the inexorable rule that one clearly demonstrated adverse fact is sufficient to disprove the most plausible hypothesis. If, therefore, the dual hypothesis is the true one, all the facts of Nature, whether of psychic phenomena or of physical structure, must conspire to demonstrate it. At least, there must be no fact that will disprove it. Thus, if it could be clearly demonstrated that the brain is the sole organ of the mind, the hypothesis of duality must fail for want of a plurality of organs through

which a second mind could manifest itself. It is true that the brain itself is dual in a purely physical sense, — that is, there are two hemispheres; but it is demonstrable that they are duplicate organs of the same mind. There is no evidence (except in novels 1) that the two hemispheres are not identical in function and normally synchronous in action.

If, therefore, duality of mind is to be demonstrated by reference to the physical structure of the animal man, we must expect to find an organ for one of the minds outside of the brain and measurably independent of its conditions or even of its existence. It must, moreover, be the organ of the subjective mind; for it is demonstrable that the brain is the organ of the objective faculties. The organ of the subjective mind must, therefore, be the organ of the instinctive faculties. If it is the organ of the instinctive faculties, it is necessarily the organ of the faculties of intuition and all the others which have been designated as subjective.

Fortunately we have not far to look for demonstrative evidence that the required organ exists, not only in man, but in the lower animals as well. In support of this declaration I shall now cite some passages from the writings of one of the ablest living scientists; namely, SurgeonGeneral Hammond. What he has said on the subject was written without reference to the dual hypothesis, and certainly without reference to its bearings upon the question of a future life. It has, therefore, all the greater evidential value, for that it was written solely in the interests of pure science, and by one whose professional reputation as an alienist is international, whose works have been translated into every modern language, and are used as textbooks by the medical profession in every civilized country.

More than twenty years ago Dr. Hammond delivered an address before the New York Neurological Society, entitled 1 See "The Hoosier Schoolmaster."

"The Brain not the Sole Organ of the Mind," in which he demonstrated his thesis by a collection of authorities, by original experiments, and by arguments which have never been successfully controverted. In one of his later works 1 he has incorporated the gist of that address in a chapter entitled "The Seat of Instinct." It is from the latter work that I make the following extracts :

"The brain of man is more highly developed than that of any other animal; he has reasoning powers in excess of those possessed by any living being; his mind governs the world, and, not content with that, seeks for knowledge of those spheres beyond that in which he dwells. But, with all this, he is surpassed by almost every other animal in the ability to perform acts instinctively, — by beings, in fact, whose brains are infinitely less perfect than his, and by others which have no organs corsponding to a brain.

"If the instinct of man were seated in his brain, he would doubtless exhibit a development of this faculty so great as to place him on that score as high as he now stands as regards his mind.

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Going back, for the present, to some of the lower animals, we find that we are able, by certain experimental procedures, to settle some points relative to the seat of instinct with absolute certainty.

"I. It does not reside exclusively in the brain. The brain of many animals, especially of those belonging to the class of reptiles, can be removed without the animal suffering any very considerable immediate inconvenience. In such cases the instinct remains unimpaired. Thus Maine de Biran states that, according to Perrault, a viper, the head of which had been cut off, moved without deviation to its hole in the wall. It is impossible that the viper could have seen, heard, smelt, tasted, or felt the wall. It could only have gone toward it instinctively, through the action of a force not residing in its brain, and altogether independent of perception.

"It is an instinct in certain animals to swim when placed in water. I removed the entire brain of a frog, and, after waiting a few minutes for the animal to recover from the shock of the operation, I placed it in a tub of water. It immediately began

1 A Treatise on Insanity: D. Appleton & Co., 1883. Ch. ii.

to swim. I held my hand so that the animal's head would come in contact with it, and thus further progress be prevented. Continued efforts to swim were made for a few seconds, and then ceased. Removing my hand, the animal again swam.

"I have repeatedly performed similar experiments with turtles of various kinds, and lately with water-snakes. In all these cases the whole brain was removed from the cranium, yet the animals did not wobble about aimlessly in the water, but swam straight out into the stream or pond, apparently with as complete a purpose to escape as though they still possessed the full degree of consciousness of the unmutilated animals.

"Such experiments show, beyond a doubt, that perception and volition are not seated exclusively in the brain, and thus that instinct is not indissolubly connected with that organ.

"It is impossible to make similar investigations in the higher animals with such definite results as those obtained with reptiles, but we may call to mind the fact familiar to all physiologists, and to which reference has been made in an earlier part of this work, of the behavior of a pigeon the brain of which had been removed. Though in such a case most of the actions are the result of perception, yet some, as for instance the act of flying when it is thrown into the air, are purely instinctive. But Nature has performed many experiments for us, and these not only on the lower animals, but also on man, which teach us conclusively that even in him instinct does not reside in brain. They show, too, that certain faculties of the mind are not confined to that organ; but with that fact we need not at present concern ourselves. [The italics are mine.]

"In certain monsters born without a brain, or with important parts of this organ absent, we have interesting examples of the persistence of instinct. Syme describes one of these beings which lived for six months. Though very feeble, it had the faculty of sucking, and the several functions of the body appeared to be well performed. Its eyes clearly perceived the light, and during the night it cried if the candle was allowed to go out. After death the cranium was opened, and there was found to be an entire absence of the cerebrum, the place of which was occupied by a quantity of serous fluid contained in the arachnoid. The cerebellum and pons Varolii were present.

"Ollivier d'Angers describes a monster of the female sex which lived twenty hours. It cried, and could suck and

swallow. There was no brain, but the spinal cord and medulla oblongata were well developed.

“Saviard relates the particulars of a case in which there were no cerebrum, cerebellum, or any other intra-cranial ganglion. The spinal cord began as a little red tumor on a level with the foramen magnum. Yet this being opened and shut its eyes, cried, sucked, and even ate broth. It lived four days. Some of these movements were reflex, but others were clearly instinctive, and adapted to the preservation of life.

"Dubois, on the authority of Professor Lallemand, of Montpellier, cites the case of a fetus, born at full term, in which the cerebrum and cerebellum were entirely absent. There were no ganglionic bodies within the cranium, but the medulla oblongata and the pons Varolii. This fetus lived three days; during all this time it uttered cries, exercised suction movements when anything was put into its mouth, and moved the limbs. It was nourished with milk and sweetened water, for no nurse would give it her breast. Dubois cites another case, on the authority of Spessa of Treviso, of a child born without cerebrum, cerebellum, or medulla oblongata, and which lived eleven hours. It cried, breathed, and moved its limbs, but it did not suck. It is difficult to say of this case to what extent its movements were instinctive, and to what extent reflex.

"But all these instances, as well as the experiments referred to as having been performed on lower animals, show that instinct does not reside in the brain.

"2. It is seated exclusively in the medulla oblongata, or in the spinal cord, or in both these organs. The observations made and experiments cited under the immediately preceding head, apparently lead to the conclusion that the medulla oblongata, or spinal cord, or both the organs, may be the seat of instinct; and further inquiry shows that this view is as correct as that which associates the brain with the mind."

Dr. Hammond then goes on at length to cite many intensely interesting experiments of his own, demonstrating the marvellous strength and persistency of instinctive acts and emotions after all the intra-cranial ganglia were completely removed. He closes the chapter as follows:

"In microcephali and other human idiots the instincts are sometimes exceedingly strong, and remain so through life. I