The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-12-18
APHASlA IN FOUR FORMS.
An Incurable, Mysterious Disease That
Battles Human knowledge.

An IncuraDle, mysterious Disease That
Battles Human Knowledge.
There are four forms of aphasia
which co-eXist or which may be found
isolated. First, the loss of the power
of understanding spoken words, or, as
it has been named rather improperly.
since the failure is not physical but
mental, verbal deafness; second, verbal
blindness, or the inability to read; third,
motor aphasia or the loss of the power
of articulate speech; fourth, agraphia--
term invented, we believe, by the
English physician DR.. Ogle-or the loss
of the power of writing. An instance
of the loss of the faculty of understand
ing spoken words, while that of the
understanding words written remained,
is quoted by NJ. Ballet from Abercom-
bic. 1t is that of gentleman farm
er in Scotland, who recognized the
sounds of spoken words without
understanding their meaning, and who,
to make communication with his
laborers possible. had a written list
in his room of the most ordinary terms.
On hearing without in the least COM
pretending the spoken words, he turned
to his list, and mis- perception of what
was said became clear. OF verbal
blindness as it is called-M. Ballet
gives an instance of Il French merchant,
whom he calls NJ. p, man of fair cul-
tivat.on and more or.less of a reading
habit, who through an accident in
hunting, lost the faculty of reading.
an. 2. understood perfectly every thing
that was said to him, answered ques-
tons with much precision, and eX-
pressed himself with a certain degree
of facility. Moreover he wrote with
ease, not only his name and address,
but long letter, and that without any
notable mistake in photography. The
interesting fact is that, though he could
write, and d d it with certain ease, he
was incapable of reading. i write
he said. 'as if my eyes were closed; |
do not read what | write In fact, he
was wholly unable to re read the words
which he had traced few seconds be-
fore" The letters themselves written
in this condition We're quite equal to
those which he had written before the
accident befell him.
OF motor aphasia, or the inability to
use articulate speech, nj. Ballet gives
instances of patient at the Salt
petrierc whose reply to all questions
consisted of the word "Macassa, ma
cassa;' of another who could only
say 'Monomomentif;" of third who
was reduced to the expression ''Iquipho-
phoiqui;" and of fourth whose vo-
cabulary did not 90 beyond Baden
abaden, badena." The poor Baude-
laire could say only "Cre nom. Gre
nom," being in this respect inferior to
a very distinguished lady, whose con-
versational powers extended to, though
not beyond, the entire phrase of which
Baudelaire gave the usual abbreviation.
Still more advanced was another lady,
who repeated at every moment: "Mad-
anne, etc, mon Dieu, est il possible,
bonjour, Madame.
In the earlier stages of the malady
proper names were forgotten. An en-
inent man of science was reduced to
designate the person of whom he spoke
as MY colleague who invented such
thing" Next common nouns disap-
pear. When the Able Perier asked for Z,
his hat he said 'Give me my
what one puts on ones -" His
coat was, what is worn to be dressed
in" Scissors, with another patient.
were the things one cuts; the window,
what one looks through, what gives
light What can not be said by people af-
ected with motor aphasia can sometimes
be sung by them. An officer who could
not pronounce the words ''enfant" and
s'natrie " whose powers of Sneech were
confined to the word ''pardi" and the
letter 3D." was capable of singing
with perfect articulation the first coup
let of the "Marseillaise. A farmer,
''du Comte de Wiklow don't parle
Graves" could not pronounce the
names of his wife and CHI ldren, except
by reading them. A striking instance
of agraphia is that of Russian officer,
well acquainted with Russian, French
and German, who, having been af-
tlicted with motor aphasia as regards
French and German, afterward became
subject to agraphia as regards all the
three languages; though he retained or
regained the power of speaking or
reading them. A woman, being asked
to write her name, produced the words
''Sumil siclaa satren." and gave her
address as "Sunesr nut to mer linn
lain" An English naval officer, wish
ing to write Royal naval medical Off
Ger belonging to the Admiralty" was
constrained to add the termination
''dendd'' to each word, and to write
'Royondend novendendd sforencendd
[sicl belondendd," etc. London Sat.