On scrivener's palsy and its treatment by galvanization of the cervical sympathetic nerve / by Julius Althaus.

  • Julius Althaus
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On scrivener's palsy and its treatment by galvanization of the cervical sympathetic nerve / by Julius Althaus. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and after their use the suffering is generally rather more severe than it was before. Local applications of liniments, embrocations, and oint¬ ments, whatever be their ingredients ; hot, tepid, and cold local and general baths; gymnastic exercises; sea, mineral water, and carbonic acid baths, have all been tried and found wanting'. o I am inclined to look upon scrivener’s palsy as a symptom of fatigue and functional irritability of the co-ordinative centres in the upper portion of the spinal axis, which have by education been trained for the guidance of the mechanical act of writing, and which, on being by the mind called upon to act, put certain sets of muscles into harmonious, although unconscious, piety for the performance of that act. Over¬ exertion of these ganglia must impair their nutrition, just as every other organ in the body has its nutrition impaired by over-exertion. Again, a constitutionally feeble condition of these ganglia may induce scrivener’s palsy in persons who have never written much, and need not write unless they like. I have had two Peers under my care, who would unquestionably, and very fairly too, object to be called scriveners, but who, nevertheless, suffered from scrivener’s palsy in an exquisite form. In one of them it was difficult to make out a family history of nervous affections, but in the other the following history was obtained :—His father was a fidgety, excitable man, who died early; his only full sister had for years suffered from an intractable form of chorea; his half-sister was subject to fits of depression. The patient himself, previous to the affection coming on, lived habitually highly, eating rich things, taking a full allowance of wine, besides being an active supporter of the turf, which often produced great excitement. Under such circumstances the affection may develop itself without any excesses in writing having taken place. I cannot agree with Mr. Solly’s opinion, that the patho¬ logical lesion in these cases is a granular disintegration of the vesicular neurine of the spinal cord. If such severe