Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-08-29
TsILing without a Tongue.

From the Popular Science Msnthly.l
Sir John Malcolm, writing from Per
STA in 1873, describes the case OF q
chief named Zal Khan, who coming into
disfavor with the reigning monarch, was
condemned TO have his eyes put out.
Failing in his appeal for recall OF this
cruel sentence, Zal Khan loaded the
tyrant with curses" and, in return, his
tongue was ordered to be cut out. This
order was imperfectly executed, and the
loss Of half the member is reported to
have deprived him of speech. Being
afterward persuaded that, If cut close,
he might be able to speak intelhgently
with the root, he submitted to the opera
ton, and subsequently related his own
story to Malcolm. These statements
were long doubted, but, in 1857 they
were fully confirmed by Sir John Nc
Neil, whose inquiries in Persia, where
this mode Of punishment is common, led
to the discovery of many instances of a
similar nature. This beliefs universal
in that country, that excision OF the tip
of the tongue permanently destroys the
power Of speech, while its removal at or
near the root, leaves the victim a
chance of regaining the ability to again
speak his mind. Surgeons are agreed,
however, that, for the purposes OF tai K
ing. the more there is left Of the "unruly
member" the better.
A still more remarkable example OF
the retention Of the powers Of utterance,
after loss of the tongue, is that oil
Margaret Cutting, whose case was
brought before the Royal Society Of
England in l742, and again in l747.
This girl lost her tongue by what was
supposed 20 be cancer when four years
old. The disease first appeared in the
shape Of q small, black SPOT OF the up
per surface of the tongue, and rapidly
eat its way quite back to the root. Ono
day, while the surgeon who had the case
in charge was Swinging the parts, the
tongue dropped out, the girl immediate
II thereafter, to the great establishment
Of those prssept saying to her mother,
"Don't be frightened, parma, it vii
grow again. Three months attesvSFd
Il was completely healed, with not a
yestjge Of the tongue remaining. Al
The age Of twenty this girl was care;
fuily examined BY sess,s, competent
gentlemen. who report u ths forty.
fourth volume Of the Philosophical
Transae,iens' as follows. regarding her
condition: II We proceeded TO examine
her mouth with the erestsas eSactness
we could but found not the least appear
ance Of any remaining part OF the
tongue, nor was there any uvula.
Notwithstanding the want Of 90 neeel'
sary an ergsa IS the tongue was gene
rally supposed 70 ", 70 form great
part Of our speech, and hke~iPe 70 pe
assisting in degulition, TO our great ad.
z:ration she performed the Office Of deg.
uliaoa, both in swallowing solids and
fluids as we'll e. We could, and IN the
same manner. And - 70 speech, she
discourses as fuendy and as veil e
others do. She read 70 us In Q
book very distinctly and plain, only We
observed that sometimes she pronounced
words sBiing in ath as ct, end Is emb
I'D as eib; b1i j required q nice and
strict attention TO obteFTc even this dii.
terence Of sound. She sinEs very pret
hlT, and pronounoes her words in sing
ing &c % eonHep.