Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1886-09-03
APHASIA.
Some Abn ormal Pecuiiarities
OF tho Faculties.
Men of Culture Who Have Lost the Power
Of Reading and Writing

"too' W the loss oi tho power Oh unuer-
standing spoken words or, as it has
been named, rather improperly, since the
failure is not physical but mental, verbal
deafness; (2) verbal blindness, or the in
ability to read; (9) moter aphasia, or the
loss of tho power Of ariculatc speech;
N agraphia "a term invented, VIC believe
by tho English physician, Dr. Ogle) or
the loss of the power of writing. An
instance of loss Of the faculty of under
standing spoken worls while that of un-
dcrstanding words written remained is
quoted by NJ. Ballet from Abcrcrombio.
1t is thnt of n gcptlcmnn-farmcr in Scot
land, who recognizing tho sounds of
spokcn-words without understanding
their meaning, and who, to make COM
munication with his laborcrs possible,
had written list in his room of tho most
ordinary terms. On hearing without in
tho least comprohending tho spoken
words, he turned to his written list and
his perception of what was said became
clear. OF verbal blindness (as it is
calleD M Ballet gives the instance OF
French merchant, whom hc call M. p, a
man OF fair cultivation and moro or less
OF reading habit who through nm acci-
dent in hunting lost the faculty of rcad-
Ing. IN. p. understood perfectly every
thing that was said to him, answered
questions with much precision and cx-
pressed himself with certain degree of
facility. Moreover, ho wrote with cnso
not only his name and address, but a
long letter, and that without any nota-
bic mistake in photography. The inter
csting fact is that, though lie could
write, and did il with certain casc, ho
was incapable of reading. 4 write he
said, 'as if with my eyes closed; don't
read what I write In fact, ho was
wholly unable to re-rcad tho words
which he had traced few seconds be.
fore" Tho letters themselves written in
this condition wero quito equal to those
which he had written before the acci
dent bcfcl him.
| or motor aphasia, or the inability to
use nrticuatc speech, NJ. Bullet gives in
stances of n patient at the Saltpctrlcrc,
whose reply to oil questions consisted of,
the word "Nlacassn, macnssa"; of anotl,-
or who could only say "Monomomcntif" ;
of third who WINS reduced to the cx-
preston "Iqui phophoiqui"; and OF q
fourth whose vocabulary did not go be-
yond Baden abndon badcnn." Tho
poet Bau lcairc could sny only, "Crc.
nom, ere nom," being in this respect In.
ferior to a very distinguished lady,
whose conversational powers extended
to though not beyond, the cntirc phrase
of which Baudclairc gnvc the usual ab-
brcvintion. Still moro advanced was nm
other lady who repeated Mt every mo-
mcnt, MADAME, etc. mon Dicu, est II
possible, bonjour Mndnmc."
In tho earlier stagcs of tho malady
proper names arc forgotten. An eminent
man of science was reduced to designate
the person of whom he spoke Us "My
colleague who invented such and such
thing" Next common nouns disappear.
When the Abbe Pcrier asked for his Int
he said: "Give me my-whnt one puts
on one's-." His coat was, 'What Is
worn 10 be dressed in.n, Scissors, with
another patient, were things one
cuts; the window, what one looks
through, what gives light. What can
' not be said by people affected with mo-
tor aphasia can sometimes be sung by
them. An officer who could not pro-
nounce the word "enfant" and "patrc, f"
whose power of speech were confined to
the word ''pardi" and the letter ."b, {"
: wns capable of singing with perfect ar
ticulation the first couplet OF tho 'Alar
sellaise." A farmer, "du comtcde WIKI
! low don't .pnrle Graves, 'GrcoGld not pro-
nouncc the names of his wifeGnd child
rem except by reading thein.&$A striking
instance OF agraphia is that ofa Russian
officer, we'll acquainted with Russian,
French and German, who, having been
afflicted with motor aphasia as regards
French and German, aftcrward became
subject to agraphla as regards oil the
three languages though he retained Or
regained the power OF read ng and speak
ing them. A woman being asked to
write her name, produced the words,
"Sumil siclaa satreni," and gave her ad-
dress as "Suuesr nut to mcr linu lain. ~
An English naval office belonging to the
Admiralty" was constrained to add the
terminator 'tlendds. to each word, and
to write, 'Royondendd navendendd
siorendcndd (sicl bclondcndd," ETC.
Saturday RepieD.