AN AMERICAN INDIAN BRAIN 405 



HISTORY 



The brain which is the subject of this account was obtained at 

 autopsy from the body of a female Indian of the Omaha tribe, 

 and thanks are due Dr. A. A. Johnson of the Department of 

 Pathology for the opportunity of the use of the specimen for 

 study. 



The individual was fifty years of age, about 12.") pounds in 

 weight and possessed rather typical Indian features although 

 not extreme. There was united in her person the blood of the 

 Indian, the French, and the English settlers of Nebraska, her 

 grandfathers carrjdng the half French and the half English 

 admixture and the grandmothers of pure Indian descent. It is 

 thus seen that the Indian l^lood was carried down entirely on 

 the female side of the family, which might give rise to s]:)ecula- 

 tion upon the formerly nuich discussed question of the relation 

 of sex to cerebral morphology'. 



The intellectual status was far above the average as su])er- 

 ficially judged of Indian peo])le, and above the average of the 

 white race as judged from the high cjuality of her attainments. 

 The educational training consisted of mission school and gov- 

 ernment Indian school as a child, five years of general education 

 in preparatory schools, and a three >eai- medical course which 

 she completed in two years, graduating at the head of her class. 

 A year's hospital training comjileted the medical work. Her 

 life was spent in medical service with her own peoi)le. She was 

 generally recognized by the profession and hmnen alike as a 

 woman of veiy superior personality whose intellectual endow- 

 ments and qualities of character placed her quite above the 

 ordinary \qyq\ of humanity. 



DESCRIPTION 



The brain, after standing several weeks in a formaldehyde 

 solution, weighed 1353 grams with the dura mater removed. A 

 comparison of the weights of the two hemispheres showed the 

 right considerably heavier than the left, 605 grams and 575 grams. 



