Selected essays and monographs : translations and reprints from various sources.

Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Selected essays and monographs : translations and reprints from various sources. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ascend in the middle of the cord to the centres in the cerebrum, so that, says de Renz, “ the early onset of disturbance of the urinary, rectal, and genital functions may be used as an argu- ment in support of the diagnosis of intra-medullary tumour.” 5. * *Disturbances of the eye. As physiology teaches that the cilio-spinal centre is situated in the cervico-dorsal enlargement of the cord, one may readily appreciate that pupillary disturbances have been remarked in the course of a disease, the site of which is precisely in this region. According to Erb and Goltz, it is approxi- mately in the lower part of the cervical region, and in the upper part of the dorsal region, that the centre exists that EYE SYMPTOMS OF SYRINGOMYELIA. * The following descrijffion of the eye symptoms recorded in this disease has been largely taken from Schlesinger’s work:— Primary optic atrophy has been observed in several cases of syringo- myelia and not accompanied by the manifestations of tabes dorsalis. It is, however, much less common than in other affections of the brain and cord. Not unfrequently it appears in cases complicated by tabes, and total permanent blindness has been recorded. Atrophy secondary to pupillitis is more common. Scblesinger found no record of partial discoloration of the disk, the loss of colour always being complete. The condition of the visual field has recently been the subject of much contention. Dejerine and Tuilant first drew attention to it in 1890 .; in seven cases they found concentric contraction, especially for green. Morvan found the visual field contracted in five out of eight cases. Rouffinet has within the last year again examined Dejerine’s cases, and fully confirms his results, so that the condition was not merely transitory. Charcot and his school are disinclined to regard contraction of the visual field as a symptom of syringomyelia. Brianceau, one of his pupils, in a thesis dealing with this subject, comes to the following conclusions:—“ In the majority of cases of syringomyelia the visual field is normal. When contracted, the reason thereof must be some other than a cavity of the spinal cord. Hysteria is very commonly associated with syringomyelia, and is the sole cause of contraction of the field of vision, except in those cases in which distinct ophthalmoscopic changes have been found ; contraction of the field of vision cannot therefore be looked upon as a symptom of syringomyelia. Hoffmann is essentially of the same opinion. fechlesinger made an analysis of a series of cases in which a perimetric examination had been conducted. Out of ninety-four cases he found the visual field to be normal in sixty-seven, and contracted in twenty-seven. In twenty of the latter there was an