Physiological psychology : a case of suspension of the mental faculties, of the powers of speech, and special senses, with the exception of sight and touch, continuing for many months : with a commentary on some of the more important of its bearings, upon the philosophy of the human mind, and the physiological psychology of man / by Robert Dunn.

  • Dunn, Robert, 1799-1877.
Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Physiological psychology : a case of suspension of the mental faculties, of the powers of speech, and special senses, with the exception of sight and touch, continuing for many months : with a commentary on some of the more important of its bearings, upon the philosophy of the human mind, and the physiological psychology of man / by Robert Dunn. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    from the outer world, by the appropriate physical stimulus upon the nervous vesicular expansion of each of the ex- ternal organs of the senses; downwards from the cerebrum, from the inner or 'psychical world, by the flow of the thoughts, and the workings of ideo-dynamical, emotional, and moral agencies in the cerebral organs. And thus it is that we find idealised impressions reflected downwards from the cerebrum upon the sensory apparatus or ganglia, produce precisely the same effects at the extremities as that which is occasioned by physical impulses there ; the mere idea, the recollection of the idealised impression of a plea- sant taste, making the mouth to water; and the idea of something disgusting producing sickness and exciting vo- miting.* But the sensory impressions of the special senses, whether sights, sounds, tastes, smells, or feelings, in order that they may be remembered, require to be idealised and registered in the cerebrum; that is, transmitted to the perceptive organs, where ideation is effected; and, as the thalami optici, in the sensory apparatus of the sensational con- sciousness, are a common foci and point of union to the nerves of special sense, I cannot withhold the expression of my conviction that the central and internal organs of the perceptive consciousness, where the ideation of external im- pressions takes place, are the great internal convolutions— the well known ourlet of Foville. I think it may be fairly inferred, both from human embryology and comparative anatomy, that these great internal convolutions are the primitive and basement convolutions of the cerebral hemi- spheres. The thin laminee or crusts which cover the corpora * It is to be regretted that perversions of the emotional feelings should have met with so little attention in pathological researches. Within the last few days, an interesting post mortem examination came under my ob- servation. It was the case of a little girl, aged 8 years, who died on the eighth day of the attack, from eftusion at the base of the brain, with soften- ing of the pons Varolii. The manner of her death was very characteristic of the local lesion; but the point of present interest was her impulse and emo- tional character while living. It was the theme of remark, and a matter of common observation, to all who knew her. I have never met with a more impulsive, excitable, curious, old-fashioned, and shrewd little girl, in the course of my life. I have watched her progress from infancy. She had a large head, and fully developed convolutions; but the size of the thalami optici was such as to rivet my attention, from their unusual magnitude and healthy appearance. I hope others will bear the comparative development of the thalami in remembrance in all cases where the impulse to emotional ex- citement has been characteristically great. Attention to this point is impor- tant, since it is only from multiplied observations that a safe and sound in- duction can be made.