Results of hemisection of the spinal cord in monkeys / by Frederick W. Mott ; communicated by Professor Schäfer.
- Frederick Walker Mott
- Date:
- 1892
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Results of hemisection of the spinal cord in monkeys / by Frederick W. Mott ; communicated by Professor Schäfer. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![remove the clip with its hand. This also shows whether the muscular sense is present or not ; for, unless the animal were conscious of the position of its foot in space, it would be unable to remove the clip. In all the remaining five cases this test was applied, and it was invariably found that the animal removed the clip immediately, or within a few seconds from the non-paralyzed side, which it would not do if it did not feel it, although the test does not show absolutely whether the sensation which directs the Monkey to place its hand down to the foot in order to remove the cause of excita- tion is tactile, painful, or both. But fi’om the rapidity with which it is effected, and from the facial expression of the animal, it would seem to be a painful one, probably tactile, too. The animal never removes the clip from the paralyzed side until move- ments have returned on the affected side. Certain precautions were taken to make this test a reliable one. The clip was fixed on the foot when the animal’s attention was attracted away, for if it saw what was done, it would remove the clip from the paralyzed side, although, generally speaking, it would not do so until some time had elapsed ; and I was led to believe from this test that it did not feel so well on the paralyzed side as on the healthy side. To make sure of the validity of this test the animals were anaesthetized with ether, and a clip fixed on each foot; when they came to they invariably removed the clip from the non-paralyzed side, leaving the other hanging on. Another peculiar fact noticed in connection with this test was that, when the clip was fixed on the paralyzed foot, the animal would draw up the sound one, examine it and scratch it several fimes, then give it up. In one case this phenomenon was noticed under the following circumstances. The animal having been anesthetized, a clip was fixed on the paralyzed foot—when it recovered consciousness it lifted up the non-paralyzed foot, scratched and examined the same part as that to which the clip was fixed on the other foot. This test only answered satisfactorily when applied to the sole of the foot, the animal would take very little notice of it when applied fo other parts of the body except the hand. All jAiysioloyists, who have had expereinee in testing the sensibility of the skin in Monkeys, are agreed that the animals often behave indifferently to pricking, and other sensory tests. This clip test, which was introduced by Schiff, is undoubtedly more satisfactory than any other, because we have evidence that the stimulus excites a conscious, purposive act, indicating volitional impulses from the brain, whereas pricking, hot water, and other tests may simply give rise to simple spinal reflex movements. The explanation of these j)henoniena will be attempted later. 42nd diiy.—Sensibility, as tested by pricking, hot water, and clip, apparently the same on the two sides. The left leg is wasted, bnt movements good. On close inspection the animal is seen to drag the foot a little in walking. The temperatnre in the ]iopliteal spaces is almost the same—only a difference of 0°‘2 E. being now observed, the right registering 102'’, the loft 101°’8. The surface of the right foot registered 100° I'., left 97°.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22297066_0011.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
