The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-06-11


N. Ribot accordingly admits that IL is ut the
present time impossible to graduate the i'm
portance OF each OF these factors In the
mechanism OF reproduction. 1t can be shown.
however. that In a general way the circulation
and tho reproduction Of Impressions have cor
relative variations 1t has been noted by Mr..
Spencer that highly nervous subjects. In whom
the action OF the heart is greatly lowered.
habitually complain OF loss Of memory. a
symptom which diminishes as fast as the nat
ural rate Of circulation is regaincd Again, In
fevers where the rapidity OF the circulation is
excessive tho reproductive faculty is often
raised to high point Of excitation. the most
remote and trivial impressions being easily
recalled. Eyaltaton OF tho memory ensues
also when the circulation Is increased by slim
ulants such as opium. De Quincy tells us
that, under the influence OF this drug. he
sometimes seemed to live for seventy or
a hundred years in one night. the mnutest
incidents OF childhood. or forgotten scenes OF
later years. being wildly reproduced. On tho
other hand bromide Of potassium. which.
taken in large doses. retards the circulation.
produces amnesia tho case is cited ola clergy
man who was obliged to discontinue the use OF
II. having very nearly lost his memory. which
returned when he ceased to take the medicine.
There are cases Of temporary amnesa Of
destructive character which seem to be only
applicable upon the theory that the group Of
cells In which particular impressions were re-
corded have been destroyed or totally trans
formed. In such instances 1t is not the repro
ductive faculty which Is enfeebled. but there is
an actual loss OF conservation something which
once existed In the memory. and formed an i'm
portant part of its capital. has disappeared.
Among the cases Of incurable partial amnesia
where the loss was absolute. and complete re-
education was necessary is that OF young
married woman. who was seized during con-
flnement with prolonged syncope. at the end Of
which she failed to recollect any OF the events
which had occurred since her marriage. inclu-
sive OF that ceremony. She never recovered
recollection OF this period Of her life.
and although she accepted, on the tes-
timony OF her friends the fact that
she was married and had son. she
was never able to realize how she gained
husband and gave birth to a child. Another
interesting instance is reported by Prof. Will
liam Sharpey. The patient was young mar
ried woman. who for about six weeks re-
manned in continuous state OF somnolence.
Upon her recovery from the torpor the record
OF her previous requirements seems to have
been completely expunged from the cerebral
cells. and she had to be completely reeducated.
1t being requisite. for example. In teaching her
to read. to begin with the alphabet. About this
and some analogous cases. however. there is
an element Of obscurity for the process Of re-
education commonly requires but few
months, q result which seems to justify the in
ference that the old cerebral records were
rather faint than extinct. But the explanation
OF such temporary periods Of oblivion remains
one of the unsolved problems Of cerebral
pathology.
Tn of hn NJ M n n mil NJ
amncsia brought forward in this volume there
is an evolution Of two memories and the patient
really lives double life. In the case of young
American woman. reported by Macnish. there
were formed two chains Of "reminiscences each
complete and absolutely independent of the
other. Part OF the patients life, was spent IN
what was termed her old state. and part in
alternating at intervals of some months. and
separated 10y fts OF prolonged somnolency. In
her old state the pat lent possessed all the know
edge which she had obtained before the first fit
of somnolcnce, in the new state she possessed
only what she had acquired since. We are not
told whether the disruption of memory eN-
tended 10 such purely organic forms rs habits
whether. for instance the young woman was
obliged to learn anew the use of the hands in
eating and dressng-but it is certain that the
severance covered not only the memory OF per:
personal identity hut the scmi-organic, semi
conscious reminiscence by which We are able to
speak. to read. and TO write.
known as aphasia. or the inability to find the
right word, Is specially interesting. because
suffered from it for some years preceding his
death. In that case nphusia seems to have
been merely q SYMPTOM of general enfeeble-
most most instances Of orr aPhasia, it is clear
that the patients are able to think, though
Tor the thought has disappeared. They re-
place the proper word by paraphra;isYe or
ha hat put IA "a
you see through" they will designate n man
10y the PLACE where he lives BY his titles his
In the most serious cases we some
times And tue patient able to play cards
an instance Of man who had entirely lost the
power OF articuate speech, yet who wrote out IA
concise. and clear account, of his. own symp-
toms. In most cases of aphqsSa, il a common
object. such rs a knife ia held before the pa
tent and designated 10y a wrong name. the pa
tient will indicate dissent. Utter the, proper
however. you ask the patient to repeat the
word. he is not usually able TO DO so. since.
the idea but the acoustic sign is preserved. NJ.
RibOt is led to the conclusion that in this form
OF amnesia II il the motor elements which are
forgctfulncss of those instructive and harmoni-
GUS movements learned from early infancy and
constituting articuate language.
The general deductions reached by NJ. Ribot
from the data here collected are summed up
in the formulation of q law of repression, based
upon the physiological principle that degen-
Grafton FIRST affects what has been most recent
~ formed, and upon the psychological princi-
simple because it has not been repeated 80
often in experience" According to this law OF
repression, the loss Of recollection in cases Of
general dissolution of the memory follows an
invariable path proceeding from recent events
to ideas in general. then to feelings. and lastly
dissolution or aphasia, forgetfulness follows
the same course, beginning with proper names.
passing to common nouns then to ,adjectives
and verbs. then TO intcrJections. and lastly to
gestures. NJ. Ribot submits that the eXacti-
tude of his laws of repression is verified in
those rare cases whore progressive dissolution
of the memory is followed by recovery rccol-
lcctons being observed to return In an inverse
order to that in which they disappeared
Travel Out OF the Beaten Track.
As rule We concur with Mr.. Labou-
chere in thinking the book-making tourist
nuisance for the man who comes home from