Guns Dont Teach People, People Teach People

Dr. Michael B. Harris,

Department of Biology and Wildlife,

Institute of Arctic Biology,
University of Alaska Fairbanks

Presentation: 28.19SA
ABSTRACT: Instruction in neurobiology can be enhanced by
inclusion of historical context to the subject matter, and
emphasis of situations where talented and observant people
take advantage of circumstances to greatly advance scientific
understanding. A common theme is how biomedical science is
advanced by careful study of injury. Areas of the cerebral
cortex commonly organize sensory information as figurative
maps, with sensory inputs represented in regular patterns. The
visual cortex is organized in this manner, and this was first
understood as a result of both military technical innovation and
careful scientific observation by a Japanese Ophthalmologist,
Dr. Tatsuji Inouye. An appreciation of geopolitics circa 1900,
military tactics and innovations associated with the Russian
Mosin-Nagant model 1891 long rifle, illustrate conditions
facilitating this initial appreciation of the visual cortex. This
example also serves as a lesson in the importance of scientific
communication, as limited accessibility of published results
orphaned these findings.
A major challenge of teaching is engaging students with the
subject matter and finding ways to make the material stick. One
useful strategy is associating a concept or topic with a tangible
object that stands out and focuses attention. I have found that
bringing a vintage Mosin-Nagant model 1891 rifle into class is
successful in captivating student attention. I expect to keep
this example in my instructional arsenal until pried from my cold
dead fingers.
Geopolitical Factors:
The Russo-Japanese War (1904 1905) grew out of rival Russian
and Japanese imperial ambitions
over Manchuria and Korea.
The unexpected Japanese
victory shaped the balance of
power in East Asia and Japan's
entry onto the world stage.

The Mosin-Nagant Remote Cerebral Lesion Device:

An observant person in the right circumstance:

Dr. Tatsuji Inouye (1881-1976) was the second son
of Tatsuya Inouye, the first Eye Specialist in
Japan. At the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war
in 1905, Inouye served as a Medical Officer.
As an Ophthalmologist, Dr Inouyes assignment was
to assess the severity of visual losses suffered by
Japanese soldiers .

Imperial Russia adopted the Mosin-Nagant rifle in 1891. The "Vintovka

Mosina" (Mosin Rifle; Mosin-Nagant model 1891) was a manually operated
bolt-action, magazine fed rifle. It fired 7.62 mm ammunition at a muzzle
velocity of 620 m/s, fed from an integral, single stack magazine, loaded
from 5 round clip chargers.
This rifle had a maximum range of approximately three kilometers, and
was capable of effective aimed fire to ranges of 400-500 meters

Inouye invented a device (the cranio-coordinometer) to track the trajectory

of bullet wounds. Studying the wounds and resulting visual deficits allowed
Inouye to correlate visual cortex anatomy with functional visual fields. In so
doing, he located the fovea, horizontal and vertical meridians,
representations of the macula, and explanations for macular sparing.

This combination commonly resulted in skull entry and exit

wounds in a linear path, and lesion without significant damage
to surrounding brain tissue.

Recently I decided to incorporate a description of Tatsuji Inouyes

original work into a lecture on the visual cortex. To give emphasis, I
also decided to illustrate this description by presenting my vintage
Mosin-Nagant Model 1891 rifle. My institution draws students from
rural Alaska where firearms are simply the tools of subsistence life.
Fairbanks also hosts a large military population. Many students are
veterans or military families. Many are interested in military
history and the lessons to be learned from, and for the benefit of,
our returning service men and women.
Although generally restricted from campus, University of Alaska
policy allows firearms to be included in appropriate supervised
educational activities. When planning this lecture I consulted with
University administration and police, who were completely supportive
of using what could seem to be an unorthodox instructional tool.
Such open-mindedness is a clear asset. I have since added examples
of period Japanese military headgear, as well as a WWI German
Mauser M98 rifle and Brodie Doughboy helmet to illustrate the
complimentary work of Gordon Holmes. These resources are
appreciated by my students and assist in making this subject stick.
Students evaluate this lecture highly and I expect to keep this
illustrative material in my instructional arsenal until pried from my
cold dead fingers.

A cautionary tale of publication:

The Meiji era (18681912) was a period in which Japan
welcomed Western influences, with Germany being the
primary conduit for dissemination of modern medical
knowledge.
After the war, Inouye traveled to Leipzig where he
published his studies in 1909. Unfortunately the
published monograph had limited circulation . This,
along with geopolitical factors associated with World
War I (1914-1918 ) likely contributed to limited
exposure of this work.
British Neurologist Gordon Holmes independently investigated visual
deficits associated with head wounds in Allied soldiers in WWI. Although
Holms acknowledged Inouyes prior publication, he is generally considered
the originator of human visual field maps

Both Russian and Japanese infantry employed entrenched linear

tactics, exposing the heads of defensive solders to enemy fire.

Japanese infantry uniform in this conflict included a woolen

cap with a brightly colored band; Blue with a yellow band in
winter, tan with a red band in summer.

Why I come to class armed:

A new, small caliber cartridge was also adopted with a rimmed,

bottlenecked case and a jacketed, blunt nose bullet. Cartridges fed into
the receiver at a slight angle marring the surface of a soft projectile and
reducing accuracy. This geometry lead to the adoption of jacketed bullets.

Tactical Factors:
Smokeless gunpowder, invented in 1884, facilitated higher
muzzle velocities and flatter bullet trajectories, and introduced
the new role of the concealed sniper firing from a distance.

Combat Helmets, although an

ancient form of protective
equipment were historically
ineffective against firearms and
fell out of use in the 1700s.
Not until WWI did their use
revive as defense from
artillery.

Seeking the Endorsement of

the National Rifle Association

The Russo-Japanese war was one of the first major conflicts where small
diameter hardened projectiles were fired at high muzzle velocities,
resulting in survivable perforating head wounds with strait trajectories and
little damage to adjacent tissues. For the first time, the functional
consequences of resulting traumatic brain injury could illustrate regional
brain function if only someone was there to pay attention.

A photocopy of Inouyes original manuscript

was discovered by Mitchell Glickstein in the
Library of the Institute of Neurology in
London. Glickstein reintroduced Inouyes
work and published the first English
translation of the original manuscript with
Manfried Fahle as a special issue of BRAIN,
in 2000. Only since then has Inouyes
innovation and contribution begun to be
appreciated.

Useful References:
Adams DL and Horton JC (2001) What you see Book review of
Inouye, T. (1909) Visual disturbances following gunshot wounds of the
cortical visual area. Nature, London. 412:482-3.
Fishman RS (1997) Gordon Holmes, the cortical retina, and the wounds
of war. Doc Ophthalmol 93:928
Glickstein M and Whitteridge D (1987) Tatsuji Inouye and the
mapping of the visual fields on the cerebral cortex. TINS 10:350353.
Inouye T (1909) Die Sehstoerungen der kortlichen Sehsphaere. W.
Engelmann Verlag, Leipzig.
Inouye T (2000) Eye disturbances after gunshot injuries to the
cortical visual pathways. Translated from the German by Glickstein
M,and Fahle M. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kauffmann Jokl DH and Hiyama F (2007) Tatsuji Inouye-Topographer
of the Visual Cortex. Exemplar of the Germany-Japan Ophthalmic
Legacy of the Meiji Era. Neuro-Ophthalmology 31(3):33-43.
Lanska DJ. (2009) Historical perspective: neurological advances from
studies of war injuries and illnesses. Ann Neurol. 66(4):444-59.
Lef A (2004) A historical review of the representation of the visual
field in primary visual cortex with special reference to the neural
mechanisms underlying macular sparing. Brain and Language 88(3): 268278.
Tubbs RS et al. (2011) Tatsuji Inouye: the minds eye. Childs Nervous
System, Springer.

Acknowledgements:
The Author is Supported by NIH 2U54NS041069-06A1
(NINDS), and 5P20RR016466 (NCRR)