Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-06
Amnes;a and Abhas;a

"HEY sound like a pair of statuesque
Grecian maidens in a Bulwer-Lytton
novel, but they aren't. They are terms
for mental lapses of an odd type, and by
some peculiar law of coincidence they are al
most invariably used with~the reverse English.
Continually you hear or read Of persons
suffering from aphasia" discovered in this
or that part of the country, with their recol-
lection Of identity completely gone.,'
I That is, .ey don't know who they are, or
why, or anything about it.
In a general way medical man will ex-
plain that lnis malady is amnesia. A patent
suffering from it sometimes is Idle TO talk
freely and nationally, but without recollection
of past life.
Amnesia would be happy condition for
;ome persons. Others have made OF it con-
venient method of accounting to wife or an
employer for being in Portland, oregon, Wnen
they should have been in Jacksonville, Fla.
Aphasia is a more specific sort of affair,
though the psycho-analyst may dispute this
statement.
Aphasia in one interesting form is the in
ability of person to speak a word-any
word-whicl he has special need to speak. He
knows exactly what he wants to say but he
cannot say it, If you show him a pencil ana
ask him what it is, he ctnnot tell you. lie
may call it a knife or something else' put not
pencil. If you ask him what you do with
a pencil he will say readily enough that you
write with it.
The patients faculties may be, to all APP
pearancss, unimpaired, and he is perfectly
aware of his deficiency-and usually annoyed
by it.
One of the most interesting examples OF
aphasia was noted some years ago in an At
lanta hospital. The patient was a business
man of prominence and ability. Part of the
regimen prescribed for him was long walks on
which he always was accompanied by nurse
or an attendant, ecause his temper was de-
cidedly flighty when he found himself un-
able to express his ideas or wishes-which
was every time he desired to talk.
Passin, fruit shop one morning, he stop
ped to look over the wares with the idea OF
taking some to his wife. who was also in the
city. He attempted to ask for what he want
ed, and requested apples.
Before any could be shown him he shook
his head emphatically-that was not it. Then
he said plums-and negativec it promptly.
He was growing angry and the dealer was
amazed and w6..ed. The nurse, resource
full young woman, undertook the situation
Nov, Mr.. Blank" she began, sis 1t
cears?"
"Grapes?"
mo-
"Oranges?"
mo"
"Well, Mr.. Blank, tell me how you eat it."
The response was instant and eager.
Why" he said, 'you-throw part of it
away and-eat the next part, and-throw the
rest Of it away"
"Peaches!" said the nurse; and the pa
TENTS relief was almost pathetic. That was
it-you threw the peeling away, ate hs peach
and threw away the seed! This particular
type is known as paraphasia, where the pa
tient "mixes up his words.
In other and more serious types Of speech
aphasia, the patient can speak only few
words, usually yes and no, and the like. Other
forms are auditory aphasia, or the inability
to understand spoken words; agraphia, or in
ability to write, though the words seem clear
in the patients mind; and alexia, which is in
ability to read.
Aphasia in it's various forms and also am
nesia result from brain-lesions. In young per-
sons cure sometimes may be affected. Apha-
STA usually is associated with paralysis in
some degree, while amnesia, or forgetfulness
in toto, may 10 be.
IT aphasia, or amnesia, could be cultivated
to apply to one or more circumstances which
the patient desired to obliterate from his
memory, it would be rather beneficent bus
ness. The story is recalled of the old Gre
clan statesman who was approached by phil
osopher with system by which, it was claim
ed, memory might be developed 'to remem-
Der all things
The old statesman shook his head.
Il should be glad to pay you ten times as
much" he replied, "for system, not to re-
member all things, but to forget a few
things.