The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-30
NERVOUS CONDITIONS.
some Interesting Experiments Made by
DIR. Charcot In Paris.
London Times,

For some years past DR.. Charcot, On emil
nent medical professor, has been giving, at
the asylum of La Salpetiere, Paris extra
official courses OF clinical lectures on the
nervous maladies with which his work Is 30
largely concerned. These weekly lectures
have been extremely popular, and special In
terest has been excited this year, as the pro-
lessor has taken up questions with somnam-
bulism and animal magnetism, class OF
phenomen which have, perhaps, been
too much In the hands of cherlatans
hitherto. and the truth about which has
been largely mixed with errors and alb
periments to La Nature, DR.. Cartaz con-
siders he has given positive demonstration
that somnambulisin, catalepsy, etc, are
among the numerous forms of hysteria. DIR.
Charcot showed that certain hysteric persons
could be easily thrown, under certain cOndi-
tions into such states. Thus, O. patient Ia
placed before an intense light-e g., the cleo
| tric-and requested to look at 1t. In few
seconds or minutes she becomes motioness
| In a state Of catalepsy. The eyes are fixed !;
the limbs are supple, and will keep any posi-
| ton given them. In this state physiognomy
seems to reflect to some extent the expression
of the gestures; Il the limbs be put In a
threatening attitude, the face darkens; IL the
| fingers be Joined on the lips as II to wave a
| kiss, the face becomes smiling and open; but
/ beyond such notifications In attitude the pa
| tient remains impressive, fixed and insensible
| to the outer world III the luminous beam
be now interrupted with screen closing the
eyelids, the catalepsy suddenly gives place to a
| state OF lethargy or somnambulism. The pa
| tient falls on her back, her neck Is stretched,
her breathing loud accompanied by slight
hiccough), the eyes .convulsed with all the
| symptoms of the beginning of hystero-epi-
| leptic attack. On being called loudly she will
| rise and come to the person calling, will per-
| form at request several combined movements.
as writing, sewing, etc, and sometimes
| answering questions all the time being In
complete an@sthesa. Other agencies besides
| light will bring on these crises-e. g., they
| may be produced by sound; and to illustrate
| this DR.. Charcot produced a gigantic tuning
fork, giving very deep note, and sounded 1t
when one Of the patients was seated On the
resonance case; she soon fell into catalepsy.
The somnambulist case is easily dissipated-
9. g., by blowing In the face. One notable
| experiment of DE-. Charcot's proved that
| the two catalepsy and lethargy-
could exist simultaneously in the same
person. The patient being put In the former
| state Is made lethargic on one side by cross
| ing the eye OF that side or shutting off the
| luminous ray from 1t with a screen; this side
(say the left has then no longer the property
which the right has OF maintaining any given
attitude in the limbs. A peculiar hyperexcita-
| bility las DR.. Charcot further shows appears
with the lethargy. By gently pressing OF
| rubbing muscle 1T can be made to contract
| Immediately, and on pressing the trunk of a
nerve, the muscle to which it passes will con-
| tract. In this way may be obtained those va.
| rious facial changes which DIR. Duchenne, Of
Bologne, has obtained with electricity. The
| nature Of the nervous disorders In question is
far from being adequately known as yet, and
DR.. Charcot does not offer any scientific ex
plantations. It is important that exact obser
vations should be accumulated, and the pre-.
else conditions of the phenomenon, thell
notifications under such and such causes
ETC., be determined.