Pierre Paul Broca Was Born on 28 June the Enigma Encircling Our Brain and 1824 in Sainte-Foy-La-Grande, Bordeaux Central Nervous System

It was almost 150 years ago that Pierre Paul Pierre Broca carried out Paul pathbreaking researches on Broca Feature Article Feature the human The Explorer in the Brain’s Maze brain. KOUSHIK ROY

Pierre Paul Broca was born on 28 June the enigma encircling our brain and 1824 in Sainte-Foy-La-Grande, Bordeaux central nervous system. in France. His father, Benjamin Broca was But for this Broca needed to acquire an eminent physician in the battalion of a summative knowledge about the human the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. anatomy. He engrossed himself in the Broca’s mother was also a rational lady study of human anatomical evolution. He with a scientific bent of mind because she began his extensive internship with urologist had been baptised by Martin Luther’s and dermatologist – Phillippe Ricord at HE human race attains its apex and radical view of humanist Protestantism. the Hopital du Midi. He was also a junior the most enviable position, in terms of From his parents, a young Broca acquired scientist under the aegis of Dr Francois Tintellect and ingenuity by dint of a the essence of multidimensional wisdom Leuret. Broca also assisted the renowned small organ, nestled within the skull—the that enabled him to exhibit his immaculate French anatomist and surgeon – Pierre brain. However, quite a few scientists are expertise in physiological researches, Nicolas Gerdy. enterprising enough to delve deeper into anatomical concepts and in anthropology Supporting Charles Darwin’s scientific the labyrinthine structure of this brain, – the study of the evolution of the human theory of evolution, Broca founded a impregnated with an incredible maze of race. society of radical and logical youth, much nerve cells and grey cells. It is quite Since his childhood, Broca exposed akin to Plato’s “Akademos” and Henry ouis spectacular to know how all the segments his ubiquitous genius to the spectrum of Vivian Derozio’s “Young Bengal” at the age of our almond-shaped brain, like pons, literature, mathematics and physics. He of 24. Despite his persistent conflict with amygdale, hippocampus, cerebellum, graduated with medical science at the orthodox, exploitative and prejudiced cerebrum and thalamus have been raw age of 20. He earned the prestigious Church authority, Broca remained astutely masterminding our five senses, diploma – “bachelier des letters” – at the confident enough to pursue his scientific psychological prowess, intuitions and wide age of 16 only. As a student, Broca was studies and observations for a greater, array of emotions and impulses. inquisitive enough to gather information philanthropic welfare. Similarly curious it is to know about about the ancient, scientific researches Broca become the youngest faculty the remarkable adaptability and conducted by Aristotle, Vesalius, Galen, of anatomy at the University of Paris marvellous evolution of our brain, way from lbn Sina, Charaka, Hippocrates, Sushruta, medical school. In 1849, he adorned the the prehistoric Neanderthals, William Harvey and other luminaries. Since post of the secretary of the Anatomical Sinanthropus, Cro-magnon to the then, Broca became curious to cruise into Society and was also a doctor of contemporary Homo sapiens. A century and a half ago, a visionary and Being inspired by the pathbreaking researches of persevering French scientist conducted Broca, contemporary neurologists like John Hughlings pioneering research to discover the origin and conception of languages in our brain. found out that the frontal lobes and the thalamus of He was Pierre Paul Broca – a scientist par our brain also have the capabilities to comprehend excellence who explored deep inside the maze that is the human brain. and utter words and languages. SCIENCE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 2011 52 Feature Article

Broca had a philanthropic bent of mind also. He supported female education. Like Socrates, Broca was also denounced by the orthodox community as a “corruptor of youth”. medicine. He wanted to mingle believed that there must be a direct nexus He called that lunatic by that quaint name psychology, psychiatry and clinical between the human intelligence and the because he could not utter any other word medicine to cure diseased humans. By sizes of brain, as well as cranium (skull). except that one, due to his defect in following that novel avenue, Broca However, Broca never supported the speech. By dint of post-mortem, Broca applied hypnotism to anaesthetize patients prevalent view that white skinned people discovered a unique fact. The frontal lobe in surgery. As the professor of clinical or Caucasians are endowed with the best of Tan’s brain (real name Albert Loborgne) surgery, Pierre Paul Broca worked in the of intelligence. In his humanist viewpoint, was found completely shrunken, devoid Saint Antoine Hospital, Hotel des clinques Broca always trusted that the gift of of intelligence-triggering grey cells and and in the Necker Hospotal. intelligence, innovation and ready wit are was degenerated. Broca realized that to make his study found liberally within every human, Then, Broca propounded his more concretised within the formation and irrespective of social status, caste and legendary theory about the function of function of brain, as well as to diagnose creed. It was Broca who calculated that brain – the left cerebrum of the human the causes of several neural maladies, he the skull and bone of Neanderthal man, brain (which is renamed as Broca’s Area) must have to study the evolution of the excavated in 1856, were one of the contains the capacity center to make and human brain. He founded the earliest remains of human’s ancestry, not understand our languages and speeches. Anthropological Society in Paris, in 1859, an instance of disfigured primate. The power of impulses, thoughts, physical which was the world’s first anthropological He critically evaluated an ancient skull movements and memory are placed in foundation. Broca also published a journal of an Inca tribal, found in Peru’s valley of the other lobes of our brain. By that post- on the descent of mankind – Revued Yucay by archaeologist Ephraim George mortem autopsy on Tan’s brain at Anthropoligie. Squier. He showed the other scientists that Bicetre Hospital, Paul Broca found out that Actually, Broca was more riveted to the skull was the testimony of an the eccentric man had been suffering anthropological quest after going through advanced, cranial surgery which used to from a terrible nervous disorder called the works of Isidore Geoffrey-Saint Hilaire, be carried out during the reign of the Inca ‘Aphasia’ (defect of speechmaking and Antoine Etienne Reynaud, Augustin Serres emperor Atahualpa, in Peru, Bolivia, conception of languages, owing to injury and Jean-Louis-Armand Quatrefages de Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala in the left cerebral hemisphere of our Breau –notable anthropologists of those and Honduras. brain). times. Broca intensely studied the fossilized April 1861 will forever remain etched By probing into the autopsy report of bones of our ancestral anthropoids or as a milestone in the field of brain research. Tan’s brain, Broca found that Tan’s brain hominids – Driopithecus, Ramapithecus, During this month, Paul Broca conducted had developed a scar, or a lesion, which Peking man, Homo habilis and a post-mortem or a dissection in the had been caused by syphilis. It is true, that Australopithecus Boisei. He strongly corpse of an imbecile person called “Tan”. another French neurologist Marc Dax had 53 SCIENCE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 2011 Feature Article Quite a few scientists are Parietal Lobe enterprising enough to delve Frontal Lobe deeper into the labyrinthine structure of this brain, Occipital Lobe impregnated with an incredible maze of nerve cells and grey cells.

Cerebellum Temporal Lobe role in making us understand other’s Brain Stem speeches. We need to understand languages through hearing, or by our auditory reception. This power of comprehension is supplied by the upper part of our brain’s temporal lobe. This part is named as “Heasechi’s gyri” after the Austrian pathologist R.L. Heschi. The unique, neurological achievement of Pierre Paul Broca was immortalized in the magnum opuses by also opined about the direct nexus “Colossus” created ripples in the world of Stephen Jay Gould The Mismeasure of Man between speech disorder and defective art. In order to assist Broca’s brain quest, (1981) and in Broca’s Brain (1986) by the cerebrum, some years earlier. However, Goya ordered his skull not be buried in the late astronomer, Carl Sagan. Broca turned that thought into a concrete grave with his dead body. Apart from being a neuroscientist, reality by his landmark research. Along with another neuroscientist, Dr Pierre Paul Broca also researched on the Later on, to measure the skulls or the Carl Wernicke (1848-1905), Broca study of cartilage and bone and pathology craniums of primate apes (chimpanzees, conducted further researches on the of cancer. As a neuroanatomist, he wrote baboons, gibbons, gorillas, orang-utans, language conception area of our brain. theses on limbic system and monkey, macaques, rhesus monkeys etc), However, Broca had to fight off severe rhinencephalon. primitive humans and modern-day people criticisms by the then orthodox, religious Broca had a philanthropic bent of in a comparative manner, Broca invented authorities, especially from the Pope who mind also. He supported female education more than 20 apparatuses. In this way, he declared the anatomical quest of Broca and in this respect strongly campaigned pioneered the science of measuring the a blasphemous one and contradictory to against the famous Christian cleric Felix human skull—”Craniology”. The instruments the Christian faith. Antoine-Philbert Dupanloup, Roman that he invented are called Being inspired by the pathbreaking Catholic Bishop of Orleans, who thought “Craniometers”. researches of Broca, contemporary female education a “stigma on religiosity”. While measuring the skulls of the neurologists like John Hughlings found out Like Socrates, Broca was also denounced human fossils, Pierre Paul Broca revealed that the frontal lobes and the thalamus of by the orthodox community as a “corruptor the immaculate comparisons among the our brain also have the capabilities to of youth”. However, Broca remained vocal skulls of the Old Stone Age people comprehend and utter words and to uphold logic and reason for public (Paleolithic) and New Stone Age (Neolithic) languages. The powers of comprehending welfare. people. He convinced scientists that the languages and to deliver speeches are He also helped the then French gradual increase of space within human now found to be particularly located in Government to upgrade health and skulls aided the increase of the brain’s size, the frontal lobe of the human brain – the hygiene. Until his demise in 1880, Broca thus enabling him to find more avenues to Central Sulcus or Fissure of Rolando and remained committed to his medical quest. chisel blunt stones to make sharp weapons Lateral Sulcus or Sylvian Fissure. The front His two sons also excelled as professors in and tools and to spark the first fire by striking part of the brain’s Parietal Lobe, along the medical science. Till his last breath, Pierre flintstones. He brought out his theses papers Fissure of Rolando, may be linked with our Paul Broca opposed the excesses of on the nexus between anatomical features speech and sense of hearing at a deeper casteism, prejudices and black magic of the developing brain of humans and state. rituals. He strongly announced: “I would gradual genesis of our intelligence and wit. The area of our brain in front of the rather be a transformed ape than a Broca’s spectacular research in the Fissure of Rolando is principally involved in degenerated son of Adam.” root of our conception in languages and motor functioning, thus relevant to the the evolution of our brain influenced a study of speaking and the upper back part Mr Koushik Roy is Assistant Teacher (English), galaxy of luminaries. Among them was the of our brain’s temporal lobe, which Abeshkuri High Madrasah (H.S.), Vill Sabarandighi, renowned Spanish painter Francesco extends towards parietal lobe, is labelled P.O. Sarbamangala, PS Gangarampur, Dist. Goya, whose masterpiece oil painting as “Werhicke’s Area”. It plays a cardinal Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal-733124 SCIENCE REPORTER, SEPTEMBER 2011 54