The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-11-14
Missing Limbs Pain and
Haunt Their Former O1Uners

ct. Louis Republic.
In one Of the hospitals here In
Of. Louis they tell this story to
illustrate the power that the amputat-
ed limb stiil keeps over the rest Of
the body after 4 has been servered
Of his legs had been removed at the
knee by the regular surgical stan.
A soon ~ he GANG out Of the in
1enS e e q supnnE
ii" Il was spppossd to be one of the
peculiar baiiucinations that are some
little attention was paid to It although
the pain seemed to grow more and
more intense. Later in the day one
of the nurses happened to notice
that. after the limb had been sew
cred and thrown aside, in some man
ner, Q bottle OF acid had been spilled
over 1t, burning the flesh and dis
coioring II badly. Just why the man
should have felt all the sensations
that he would have felt II the acid
had been spilled before the nerves
wsrs servered the surgical stan has
never been able 70 explain. Cold
FLOODED medical science does not at
tempt to oRer . solution.
ne Iual0HC8 BC6kH1 " DriOH8 HAOE y
nearly to the realm Of the occul. 1t
| is q welI-known fact that the man
who loses . leg or an arm never loses
the feeling that the arm or the leg
lie stilI : part % the body. He may
have lost II In battle, in . railroad
wreck or as q means OF preserving
life after becoming infected with
some form OF blood poisoning. but the
missing limb haunts him the rest OF
his days. In an absent-minded mo-
ment or in q moment OF great ex-
element the feeling that the limb
is still there is. apt to betray him
into danger or to his death.
Only about S per cent Of those who
suffer ampution lose all sense Of feel
ing In the part taken away. There 10
something tragicai almost CHASTITY, in
the Idea OF q phantom limb haunting
q man through his days and betraying
him In some unguarded moment In
to some effort whose failure viii sud-
denly remind him OF his loss.
A few. months ago a Confederate
veteran who left an arm at Fit. Dom
elson was standing on a street cor
ner in North st. Louis waiting for a
car A little girl Of four or hve years
playing about on the walk and in
the street happened to run In front
VI Tue SWiIGy HONiuk lFoliSy GET.
The distance was too short for the
motorman TO hope TO stop. The gray
haired veteran dashed for the street
and attempted to seize the child Just
as the fender was brushing her dress.
But the hand that should have swung
her TO safety was lost years ago
back OF where the field hospital stood
~ Doneison. The ghostly member
had betrayed him and the child was
taken from the wheels nangled and
dying.
In another instance a gallant ofiicer
who had lost an arm at Shiloh was
riding FESTIVE and fractions horse.
Annoyed by the caperings OF the
animal he attempted to use his lost
hand to grasp the reins, while he
struck the horse with the other. A
terrible fall was the result as the
maddened beast sprang sideways to
escape the punishment
In experimenting with cases OF this
character II has been found that II
an electric current Ii applied to the
nerves at the stump OF the leg or
the arm the irritation Is carried to
the brain and referred to all the re-
gions Of the lost limb. On one oc-
casion q mans shoulder was thus
electrified three inches above the point
where the arm had been taken off.
He had been unconscious OF tife limb
for years; It had ceased to haunt him.