Three successful cases of cerebral surgery : including (1) the removal of a large intracranial fibroma (2) exsection of damaged brain tissue, and (3) exsection of the cerebral centre for the left hand : with remarks on the general technique of such operations / by W.W. Keen.

  • Keen, William W. (William Williams), 1837-1932.
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Three successful cases of cerebral surgery : including (1) the removal of a large intracranial fibroma (2) exsection of damaged brain tissue, and (3) exsection of the cerebral centre for the left hand : with remarks on the general technique of such operations / by W.W. Keen. 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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    memory for some little time.” The hands were not affected in any way, but both eyes were as “ red as flannel ” for three or four days. In an hour or two he returned to his work in the office. These attacks were always ushered in by palpitation of the heart and a rushing sound in the ears. After these attacks, of his own accord, he took bromide (about a drachm a day) until the 25th of February, when he stopped on account of the acne. March 1, 1888. While walking in the street he felt a dizzy attack coming on. He walked perhaps seventy-five feet and became uncon- scious. After he recovered he walked home and remained in the house for some days, but not in bed. He was nervous, but otherwise well. His hand was not affected. He was generally constipated before these attacks. 21st. He knew that an attack was coming on by the dizzy feeling and the sensation of numbness which he could not locate; by gasping for breath and by wanting more light in the room. He became unconscious, but did not fall from his chair. The hand was not affected after it. His sister, who was present, states “that his convulsion began with slight movement from side to side, increasing in violence ; the face was swollen ; the eyes open wide and very red ; twitching of the head and face ; left forearm and leg stiffened; no convulsive movement, except a little twitching of the left fingers; breathing was snoring and there was frothing at the mouth. He was unconscious for ten minutes. This attack was followed by temporary loss of memory, confused talking, etc.” Later on, in the same day, another attack was aborted by the use of cold water on his head, which was very hot. April 8. Present condition : Urine normal; no albumen, no sugar. Head.—When his head was shaved two small scars were found, one unaccounted for and one from an old hurt. In addition to this, five- eighths of an inch behind the apex of the right parietal protuberance and on a level with it was a shallow groove running upward and forward at an angle of 50 degrees with the median line, the angle opening poste- riorly. The groove was about two and a half inches long and one-half of an inch in width. The ends were not definitely marked; the centre was three inches to the right of the middle line. The anterior end of the groove died out just in front of the bi-auricular line and just anterior to the fissure of Rolando. The anterior portion of the groove slightly overlapped the pre- Rolandic convolution, crossed all of the post-Rolandic convolution, and the posterior portion of it was over the supra-marginal. The scalp showed no lesion. Dr. ,J. M. Taylor determined the following facts: “ Knee-jerk and reinforcement normal. Dynamometer: right, 160° ; left, 150°. Sensation in hands by the sesthesiometer, normal and equal. Station, sway one- lalf of an inch posteriorly, and then three-quarters of an inch forward; o right one-half of an inch ; then left one inch. Electric reaction by a taradic current, normal.” — ; Dr. Charles A. Oliver examined the eyes and made the following observations: “ Direct vision for form, normal in each eye separately fr3e a P°'T of. accomm°dation in each eye, proper for refractive in nr:?' T °f Patient' Jle]ih of visiou for form and color, normal PuniT^rnlo! •SeqUenCe‘1 ,No evidence of subnormal color-perception. P s equal in size and shape upon separate and conjoined examination.