Cerebral tumour : history and diagnosis / by T. McCall Anderson. Operation for its removal / by George Buchanan. Pathology / by Joseph Coats.

  • Anderson, McCall, 1836-1908.
Date:
[1891]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cerebral tumour : history and diagnosis / by T. McCall Anderson. Operation for its removal / by George Buchanan. Pathology / by Joseph Coats. 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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    I.—DIAGNOSIS AND LOCALISATION FROM THE NERVE SYMPTOMS. By T. McCALL ANDERSON, M.D., Professor of Clinical Medicine in the University of Glasgow. Gentlemen,—I have to request your careful attention to the details of the history of this case, because it is mainly from them that the diagnosis of the seat and nature of the disease was made. A. K.,^ aged 16, engineer’s apprentice, was admitted to Ward 2 of the Western Infirmary on August 14th, 1890, complaining of fits and of paresis of the left arm and leg. No definite neu- rotic tendency can be traced in the family beyond the fact that his mother suffers frequently from lieadache, and that for a number of years he himself has been similarly affected, apparently as part of ^‘bilious attacks.” There is no his- tory nor are there evidences of syphilis or tuberculosis. There is an indefinite history of slight discharge from the ears dur- ing infancy, but all traces of this have been absent for a number of years. About four years and a half ago, without previous warning, and while in the act of lacing his boots, his left forearm was suddenly fiexed, and, uttering a cry, he fell down in a semi- insensible condition, conscious, to a certain extent, of what was going on around him, but unable to speak or move. Ever since this fit he has complained at times of slight pain, numbness and weakness in the left hand, and within the last year or so this had been more frequent and severe. The pain and its accompanying numbness are usually experienced in the left thumb and forefinger, and, only when severe, extend to the rest of the liand and forearm. No recurrence of fits took place till a year and a half ago, when, on May 10th, 1889, a second occurred. This was pre- ceded by lateral oscillation of the head for about two hours. Pain and numbness were then complained of in the left thumb and forefinger, which gradually extended upwards through the left hand and forearm to the arm, finally affecting 1 Reported by the resident medical officer, Mr. L. R. Sutherland, M.B., C.M.