Show Electric Waves in inHuman inHuman Human Brain Are Studied by Science Currents Vary During b Sleep or Wakefulness S LIFE electrical Is Through the ages man has tried to discover or to explain th that t mysterious something which is life the life the force that animates a mass of blood bones and flesh At one time when scientists were ere rapidly learning one fact after another about the composition s structure re and function of the human body optimistic persons were sure th that t these scientists would finally fi finally fi- fi nally unravel the wonder of wonders wonders life life itself The idea that scientists might some day use this knowledge e to build a robot and then find a way to breathe life into him will apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap never be realized Life Is Mystery l The miracle of life itself the fact that to certain material processes processes processes proc proc- esses conscious consciousness ess is added can never be explained Prof Pro Hans HansBerger HansBerger HansBerger Berger of the University of Jena Germany now declares In a report to Research Rescar h and Progress Pr Professor ressor Berger is the man who started the wave of experiments on what are popularly known as brain brainwaves brainwaves waves These are arc the tracings s on paper of the electric curre currents ts which arise in the brain All activities of life lile are arc accompanied accompanied accompanied nied by electrical impulses the current current current cur cur- rent thus produced being called bio bio- electric The English scientist Caton was the first who showed that hat electric currents arise in the brains of the higher animals dogs and apes apes Fifty years ears later in 1924 1921 Professor I sor Berger showed ved the existence of these currents in man and devised a method of leading these currents off from rom the brain so that they can be amplified and charted or recorded record record- ed cd appearing as wavy lines on paper Brain Always Active Recent study has shown that these waves vary during sleep consciousness conscious conscious- ness mental activity under the influence influence influence in in- fluence of anesthetics or sedative drugs and in certain diseases Though the waves are arc different un under un un- un der cler differing conditions they are always present showing that the human luman brain like the human heartis' heartis heart is' is s continually ac active ve Study of the currents from rom the brain rain will it is hoped valuable information reformation about various mental disorders much as similar studies of the c currents from the heart tell certain important things about the condition of that organ But apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap they will not shed much light on the question of what makes life No answer can be given Professor sor B Barger says to the question of Whether the electric tension that Is seen seen in the main vibrations of the brain waves merely accompanies the vital processes or whether it does just the work necessary ary to produce consciousness |