The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-29
PHANTOM LIMBS.
Feeling Experienced in Members
That Have Been Amputated.
From The Literary Digest,


From the Literary Digest.
We refer a sensation at once to Its
source in the hnger-tips or the ear or the
nose or wherever 1t may be, and so ex-
pert have we become In recognizing the
source that we localize the sensation Itself
there, thinking of the sensation of tOucn
as being in the skin of the finger instead
of the brain. where il actually 1t. Hence
he who has lost a finger refers directly
TO the absent member any irritation of the
nerve that formerly connected with 10,
and can scarcely believe that IL Is not In
its old place. This phenomenon Is familiar
enough and many are the superstitions
to which 1t has given rise, but II Is only
OF late that Il has received serious scien-
tiho study. A recent work on the SUD-
1ect Is that of NJ. AbbatuccL published in
Paris, which has called forth a paper by
Prof Pitres, contributed to the Annales
Medico-Psychologi OF that city. We
quote below part of an abstract from the
Nation Druggist (March), Says that
paper:
IN. Pltres 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 perfect and viva
cious that 1t constantly deceives the intel
ligence OF the Individual, so imperiously
does IL force itself upon him. Some OF
those who had lost limb questioned by
M Petres, declared that they had felt the
amputated limb frequently more really ana
substantially than they did the one still
attached to the body. Sometimes they get
10 believing more firmly upon the existence
OF the phantom limb than upon those
members that remain, as in the case of
patient of Dr. S. Weir Mitchell who de-
clared: state only the truth when
say that / am more conscious of the ex-
In fala nj Il
than Of the one that / saved
MANY OF Trof. Pitres patients made
analogous declarations Parblue! said
one i know mighty well that have no
right leg-yet, when / try to analyze
my sensations, feel that leg there. Why
I feel the foot this minute more distinctly
than l do the left one. which Is there
before my eyes. II 0he phantom) hurts
me, while the other does not. If l 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
tn convince myself OF the unreainess OF
my sensations
"When the Illusion is as clear as In
these cases, the person Is constantly IN
unsciously inclined TO attempt to use the
phantom limb. DR.. Wier Mitchell tells of
a horseman who had lost his arm, and
thinking to take the rens In the amputa-
ted hand, dropped them on the neck of
the horse, which was high-spirited and
leaping to one side threw the rider, badly
inturing him. Another party who had
lost his right hand always tried to pick
up his work with that hand. which in
variably caused him a fit of exaspera-
ton.
LAS might be imagined. such unfortu-
mates are constantly meeting with acci-
dents which might have easily been avoid
ed but for the unconscious confidence had
in the existence of the phantom limb. DR..
Pitres tells of a heavy MAN who had lost
an arm and who, in dressing one morn
ing, lost his equilibrium, and, starting. to
fall, put out the phantom arm to steady
himself, and, as a consequence, had
severe fall.
I'VE remember an old soldier who had
lost half of both feet, and the injury had
been partially repaired ny maker Of
artificial limbs. This mab would sit for
a half hour at a time rubbing the ends
of his shoes where his corns formerly
were, and swearing al the pain the phan-
tom corns were giving him. He would
frequently declare, There's going to be a
change of the weather-my corns are hurt
ing 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 Investigations
have proven the realness of the sensa-
tons caused by these hallucinations, and
the suffering produced by them, we may
hope that science will discover soma
means Of preventing them"