Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1898-06-30
PHANTOM LIMBS.
Explanation of the Sense of Feeling
in Members That Have Been
Amputated.

in Members That Have Been
Amputated.
We refer a sensation at once to its
source in the finger tips or the ear or
the nose, or wherever it may be, and SO
expert have we become in recognizing
the source that we localize the sensa-
ton itself there, thinking of the sensa-
ton of touch as being in the skin of the
finger instead of the brain, where it
actually is. Hence he who has lost
finger refers directly to the absent
member any irritation of the nerve that
formerly connected with it, and can
scarcely believe that it is not in its old
place. This phenomenon is familiar
enough and many are the superstitions
to which it has given rise, but 1T is only
of late that it has received serious sci
entifc study. 4 recent work on the
subject is that of NJ. Abbatucci, pub
lished in Paris, which has called forth
paper by Prof. Pitres, contributed to
the Annales Observation-Disclosures Of
that city. We quote below part OF an
abstract from the National Druggist.
Says that paper:
IN. Pitres shows that the illusion of
the existence of limb Tin place of one
which had been amputated) may go SO
far as to cause many accidents. In the
majority of cases the illusion is SO per-
feet and vivacious that it constantly de-
ceives the intelligence of the individual,
so imperfectly does it force itself upon
him. Some of those who had lost
limb, questioned by NJ. Pitres, declared
that they felt the amputated limb fire.
quently more really and substantially
than they did the one still attached to
the body. Sometimes they got to be-
lieving more firmly upon the existence
of the phantom limb than upon those
members that remain, as in the case of a
patient of DR.. S. Weir Mitchell, who de-
claredi 4 state only the truth when 1
say that am more conscious Of the eX-
istence in place of the limb that 1 lost
than of the one that 1 saved
"Many of Prof. Pitres' patients made
analogous declarations. Parbleu! said
one, & know mighty we'll that 1 have no
right lqg-yet, when I try to analyze
my sensations, feel that leg there.
Why, feel the foot this minute more
distinctly than do the left one, which
is there before my eyes. 1t (the phan-
tom) hurts me, while the other does not.
If could not assure myself by the touch
and sight of the stump, nothing could
convince me that the right leg was gone.
am having constantly to reason with
myself in order to convince myself of
the unrealness of my sensations
"When the illusion is as clear as in
these cases, the person is constantly UNI
consciously inclined to attempt to use
the phantom limb. DR.. Wier Mitchell
tells of a horseman who had lost an arm,
md, thinking to take the reins in the
amputated hand, dropped them on the
neck of the horse, which was high-spr-
tied, and, leaping to one side, threw the
rider, badly injuring him. Another
party who had lost his right hand al
ways tried to pick up his work with that
hand, which invariably caused him fit
of evaporation.
Gas might be imagined, such unfor-
Inmates are constantly meeting with
accidents which might have easily been
avoided but for the unconscious conf
dence had in the existence of the phan-
tom limb. DR.. Pitres tells of heavy
man who had lost an arm, and who, in
dressing one morning, lost his equili-
brium, and, starting to fall, put out the
phantom arm TO steady himself, and, as
a consequence, had severe fall.
eve remember an old soldier who had
lost half of both feet, and the injury had
been partially repaired by maker OF
artificial limbs. This man would sit
for a half hour at time rubbing the
ends of his shoes, where his corns
formerly were, and swearing at the pain
the phantom corns were giving him.
He would frequently declare: There's
going to be n change of the weather.
my corns are hurting me- On being
reminded that he had no corns he would
say: Never mind! l feel 'em all the
same
'Now that the results of the investi-
cations have proven the realness of the
sensations caused by these hallucina-
lions, and the suffering produced by
them, we may hope that science will
discover some means of preventing
them. Literary Digest.