The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-11-14

but a. the electric current ran
through his body the man. who had
been entirely ignorant Of IT. possible
effects. started up, shouting. 'rhe
hand! the hand!" and trying TO grasp
the phantom member with the itv-
Ing grasp OF the sound fingers. To
him no resurrection Of the dead could
have been more startling.
AZ matter OF fact, pain is not In
any organ or In any part OF the body
and the mind alone can feel. When
case It carried the sensation to the
brain. which at once referred II back
to the missing nerve tips that had
dotted the amputated hand and arm.
One OF the most familiar instances
OF this transfer Of pain IL seen In the
funny bone" just back OF the elbow.
II this bone receives q sharp blow
the tingling sensation and the pain
will be felt in the hand. and partf-
cuiarly in the third and fourth nm
gers.
When the electric current was fore
ed along the nerves and muscles OF
the man who had lost his arm II was
carried along the cleaning tangle OF
nerves that dart out from the spinal
cord and branch on from the great
spinal nerve trunks into the upper
part OF the body. To all these nerves
centers the missing arm was stu in
its place. The tingling current re-
surrected the phantom hand as clear
~ as II II had never disappeared.
The individual who has suffered an
amputation has to be constantly on
guard to keep from being betrayed by
the phantom limb. For years they
may be haunted by ghostiy pain
that they can feel in the flesh that
has melted into the earth long before
Sometimes the pain becomes 30 In
tense that an operation for severing
be undertaken In the hope OF AFFORD
ing some relief. The worst Of these
cases occur in instances where the
operation has been hurried or faulty
ana the details neglected. The sur;
geon. when he makes the cut through
the flesh 10 usually careful to draw
out the nerve a fraction OF an inch
or 80 beyond the line Of the incision.
when the wound at the stump heals
the nerve fbers contract ana draw
the white fiiament back into the
tissues far enough that they are not
easily disturbed. In some Instances
the cut 10 made In Q faulty manner
and the nerve ends are left more or
tSe1 CAPV1ta W hstc AthtN6tANh Va Wv ~
or pressure on the end of the stump.
The idol Of the Union Cavalry forces
In the Civil War. General Kearney. il
supposed to have gone to his death
by reason of his betrayal OF q phan-
tom. His custom was to lead the
charge with his reins In his teeth and
his saber In his remaining hand. At
Chantiiiy his horse. maddened by q
wound dashed on after the troops
had begun to fall back and carried his
master straight into the deadiiest IRE
of the enemy's batteries. He strove TO
grasp the reins with the hand that
was gone and ere he could wheel the
plunging animal out OF range with the
hand already encountered with his
saber he was hurled from the saddle
by fragment Of she'll.
Stories of pain felt In limbs long
since amputated are well known A
classic among tales of this kind Is
that of the man whose leg was am-
putated, and after recovering from
the effects OF the operation he de-
ciared that the toes on the missing
limbs were crossed and cramped. He
was so insistent In his belief that the
limb was unearthed. It was found
that the toes were In exactly the
position he had described them to be.
They were Strengthened out. the limb
reburied and the sensation he COM
plained OF disappeared.