On aphasia, or loss of speech : and the localisation of the faculty of articulate language / by Frederic Bateman.

Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On aphasia, or loss of speech : and the localisation of the faculty of articulate language / by Frederic Bateman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    March SOth.—The house surgeon was called to him to-day, and found him stretched on the floor, twitching convulsively, with turgid face, gnashing of the teeth, foaming at the mouth, eyes open and rolling, pupils dilated and insensible to light, breathing stertorous, skin cold and clammy. These symptoms continued for fifteen minutes, when violent jerking of the left leg and thigh occurred, the convulsive efforts ceased, and he gradually recovered his senses; there was no paralysis. March 31st.—The patient had a sound sleep after the fit of yesterday, and to-day is as usual. On showing him a tumbler glass he shakes his head, and says it is for beer, but cannot remember its name; he knows it is not called a basin, a mug, or a jug, and recognises the word glass directly it is named; but the next minute he has forgotten it, and cannot repeat it. He was also shown a warming pan, about which he became quite angry from his inability to remember its name; he, however, showed his interrogators what it was used for, with great despatch, and recognised its name the moment it was casually mentioned. April 24th.—Suddenly taken speechless, with loss of motor power in the lower limbs, the upper extremities being un- affected. The fit was evidently entirely different from _ any other he has had; there were no epileptiform convulsions, simply faintness, speechlessness, and paraplegia. The pupils were equal and active; he appeared conscious of all that was going on around him, and as soon as he was put to bed he uttered confused sounds, but could not articulate. 25th.—The motor power in the lower limbs has partially returned; in fact, there is no actual paralysis this morning, there is simply want of co-ordinating power of the lower limbs; he can walk very imperfectly, supported by two persons, but cannot stand alone. May 2nd.—I was summoned to him to-day, and found him in an epileptic fit, perfectly unconscious, pupils both contracted and immoveable, foaming at the mouth, with convulsions, which were confined to the right arm and leg and right side of the face; the right orbicularis palpebrarum was contracting violently; the left side of the body seemed unaffected; the convulsions soon affected both sides, the left, however, to a much less extent. Five grains of calomel to be put upon the tongue, and a turpentine injection to be administered. 3rd.—He is still quite unconscious—in fact, in a state of