Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-06-09

Sense ~ Feeling Experienced In Members
That Have Iieen Aniputated.
Literary Digest.
We refer a sensation at once to its
source in the finger tips or the ear or
the nose, or wherever IL may he. and 80
expert have wa become in recognizing
the source that We localize the senea-
tion itself there, thinking Of the sensa-
tion Of touch as being in the skin Of
the finger instead Of the brain, where il
actually it, Hence he who has Loaf a
finger refers directly TO the absent
member any irritation OF the nerve that
formerly Connected with it, and can
scarcely bslleye that it is not 10 it's old
place. This phenomenon ia familiar
enough and many are the superstitionH
TO which it has given rise, hat IL 10
only OF late that il has received serious
scientific study, A recent work on the
subject is that of NJ. Abbatucci, pub
lishsd in Paris, which has called forth
paper by Prof, pitres, contributed by
the Annales Medico l'sychologiques, of
that city. We quite below part OF an
abstract from the National Druggist
(Maruhl. Says that piper:
NJ. Pjires shows that the illusion
OF the existence of limb lin place Of
one which had been amputatsdl may
60 30 far as to cause many accidents In
the majority OF cases the illusion ia so
perfect and vivacious that H. constantly
deceives the intelligence of the in
diyidual. so imperiously doss IL force
itself upon him. Some OF those who
hau lost limb, questioned by M. pitrea
declared that they had felt the AIM
putated limb frequently more really and
substantially than they did the one
still attached to the body Sometimes
they get TO believing more firmly upon
the existence of the phantom limb than
upon those members that remain, as in
the case of a patient of DR.. $, Weir
| Mitchell, who declared: / etate only
the truth when l say that am mora
conscious of the existence in place of
the limb that lost than OF the ons
that saved
Many of Prof. Pitres' patients made
analogous declarations. parblue! said
one, know mighty we'll that have
no right leg-yet, when Try to analyze
my sensations 1 feel that leg there.
| Why, | feel the foot this minute more
distinctly than do the left one, which
| IL there before my eyes. Ii tths phHn-
TONI hurts me, while the other docs
not, IL | could not assure myself by
tho touch and sight of the stump
nothing could convince me that tho
right leg was gone. am having con-
atantly to reason with myself in order
to convince myself Of the unroalnosa OF
my sensations.
when the illusion ia as clear as ia
these cases. tho person il constantly
unconsoously inclined 10 attempt 10
uee the phantom limb. DIR. Wisr
Mitchell tells OF horseman who had
lost his arm, and thinking to take the
reins in the amputated hand, dropped
thom on the neck of the horse. which
was high spirited, and leaning to one
side threw the rider, badly injuring
him, Another party VIM had lost ais
right hand always tried to pick up his
work with that hand, which invariably
caused him fit of evaporation.
"Aa might be imagined, such I'M
fortunates are constantly meeting with
accidents which might have easily heeu
avoided hut 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 ono morning, lost his equili-
brium. and, starting to fall put out
tho phantom arm to steady himself,
and, as consequence, had severe
fall.
We remember an old soldier who
had lost half of both feet and the in.
jury had bson partially repaired ny a
maker of artificial limbs. This man
would sit for half hour at time rub.
bling tina ends OF his Shoes where hi
corns formerly were and swearing at
the puin tho phantom corna were
giving him. lie would frequently de-
clare. There's going to lie change OF
the weathor-my corna ars hurting me.
On being reminded that he mad no
corns, no would say, Never mind {
feel EN- all the same.
Now that the results of investign-
tions have proven the rcalness Of tho
sensations caused by these hallucina-
tions, and the suffering produced by
them, we may hope that science will
discover some moans Of preventing
them. "
Burderto Pictures the schoOiboy Bully.
And the bulies 10 the school.
guess there will always bo DULLES in
all schools Theirs were some mean
onaa in tim lyinjnvunrtap rpbo hav