Series of clinical cases (with observations) illustrating the views recently put forward by Dr. Brown-Séquard, as regards certain points connected with the physiology of the nervous system / by John W. Ogle, M.D.

  • Ogle, John W. (John William), 1824-1905.
Date:
[©1859?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Series of clinical cases (with observations) illustrating the views recently put forward by Dr. Brown-Séquard, as regards certain points connected with the physiology of the nervous system / by John W. Ogle, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    that she had been for some time in a state of unconsciousness, and subse- quently that she was found to have quite lost the power of movement on the left side of the body. Of this want of power she had partially recovered, but latterly the right side of the body had fallen into a state similar to that of the left. Whilst under observation within the hospital, she was unable, on trying to draw up the legs in bed, to pull them up simultaneously, but first one and then the other slowly yielded to her eiforts. As before said, there was no anaesthesia as regards pinching of the skin, and this was the case to the last; but strange sensations of numbness were complained of. Her power over the muscles became yet weaker, and the patient gradually sank and died, considerable dyspnoea and cough, with abundant secretion of mu- cus into the bronchial tubes, having occurred. Post-mortem examination. — A vascular but very firm encephalo'id tumour, of the size of a small walnut, was found attached to the dura-mater, connected with the right and anterior bor- der of the foramen magnum. This tumour (see fig. 1) in- dented the cerebellum and encroached greatly on the foramen magnum and the parts which passed through; having, moreover, hooked around it the seventh and eighth pair of cranial nerves. A small mass of a similar character was also found attached to the dura-mater at the opposite (the anterior) border of the foramen magnum, and these two encephalo'id growths interfered to such a degree with the aperture for the passage of the spinal cord, as to reduce it to a triangularly-shaped space, so small as barely to allow the tip of the little finger to enter* Two other and like growths were found to be connected with the falx cerebri and dura-mater near the optic commissure. Some softening also there was of the dorsal region of the spinal cord, and considerable evidence of congestion of the lungs existed. Remarks.—In this case the chief point of interest is found in the fact that sensibility to pinching and pricking of all portions of the skin's surface remained undiminished, and this certainly to within a •few days of death, whilst at the same time there existed so considerable an encroachment upon the external or superficial portions (the anterior and posterior parts, &c.) of the spinal cord as it passed through the aperture, that this organ did not exceed the tip of the little ringer in magnitude at this spot. In such a case it could not be otherwise than that those columns, generally hitherto supposed to be the medium for the conveyance of sensibility, were very considerably pressed upon. • This specimen is now in the St. George's Hospital Pathological Museum, as Prepara- tion No. 1 b, Sub-series vii., Series xxl. Fig. 1. This illustration exhibits a large rounded mass of carcinomatous material (of which a section has been made), in connexion with the dura mater at the right and anterior part of the edge of the foramen magnum (seen from above), encroaching considerably upon the ner- vous substance passing through that opening. A similar but much smaller mass is seen to the left of the larger one.