Case of tubercles in the brain : with remarks, physiologica and psychological on the functions of the nervous centres involved in the disease.

  • Dunn, Robert.
Date:
1854
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Case of tubercles in the brain : with remarks, physiologica and psychological on the functions of the nervous centres involved in the disease. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)

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    its organ that its own operations and processes are mani- fested throughout the totality of life in health and disease. And hence the importance of medical psychology, of tracing the relations and reciprocal actions of mental and bodily phenomena, and the necessity of noting and studying the psychological manifestations or symptoms as they be- come developed, and especially in diseases of the brain and nervous system.* In the former case of cerebral tubercle, to which I have already alluded, where the deposit was upon the superficies of the hemispherical ganglia, the psychological phenomena were very significant, and the only indication of the local seat of the disease. For some time previous to his last ill- ness, the parents had been forcibly struck with a change in the disposition of the child, which they had observed for some time to have been gradually taking place. From being a happy, placid, and docile boy, he had become more and more petulant, self-willed, and obstinate ; very determined to have whatever he set his mind upon, and not to be driven from his purpose; in a word, to use their own language, he had become a most obstinate and self-willed boy. So marked, indeed, was the change of disposition, that it had become a subject of serious consideration with them, whether it was to be attributed to some latent disease under which he might be labouring, or to mere infirmity of temper. But as he continued to eat, drink, and sleep well, and did not appear to be suffering from any bodily complaint, they contented themselves with endeavouring to correct, by moral discipline and management, what they were inclined to con- sider rather an infirmity of the mind than of the body. Now, it is a fact worthy of observation, that on the post mortem examination of the brain, the tubercular deposit was found to be situated on that part of each of the hemi- spheres of the brain where Gall and Spurzheim have located the organ of firmness; and, if we associate the change of disposition which had taken place with the structural dis- turbance induced by the tubercular deposit (and certainly among the first of the morbid effects arising from the de- posit, would be an irritating excitement on the grey sub- stance which would lead to an abnormal development of its functional power), the case may be fairly adduced in support * Case of Hemiplegia, with Cerebral Softening, and in which loss of speech was a prominent symptom. Read before the Boyal Med. Chir. Society, Jan. 25th, 1850 : and published in the Lancet, Oct. 20th, Nov. 2nd, 1850.