On loss of speech, or the power of utterance, in respect to its cerebral bearings and causes / by Robert Dunn.
- Robert Dunn
- Date:
- 1869
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: On loss of speech, or the power of utterance, in respect to its cerebral bearings and causes / by Robert Dunn. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.
8/12 page 6
![exclusive prerogative of man, the faculty of articulate speech. And here, as positive evidence in support of this claim, I would adduce the highly interesting case which Dr. Simpson has recorded (in Medical Times and Gazette iox Dec. 21, 1867) of extensive lesion in the left in- ferior frontal convolution of the cerebrum, zvithout aphasia. There was no loss of speech. For where we find there had existed, as Dr. Simp- son has described, such an extensive cerebral lesion and such disease in the very site and exact region of the posterior part of the left third con- volution, where Dr. Broca has located the special organ of speech ; and that yet, during life, there was manifested not any impairment of the faculty of speech,—what other conclusion can we draw, if we admit Broca's region to be really the seat of the organ of speech, than this, that the functional power in this case roust have been discharged by the organ on the right side of the brain ? It retained its perfect intregity ; while, with such a state of disease on the left side, the functional power must indisputably have been lost. But, to proceed with my cases. The first was that of a lady, aged 63— a case of hemiplegia on the right side, with cerebral softening, in which loss of speech was a prominent feature.* She had suffered from three attacks of apoplexy. The first, which occurred in October 1844, seemed '' congestive in its character, and passed away, without any other permanent consequence than this, that she continually used one word for another, not a]5plying appropriate names to the things or per- sons she desired to signify. The second attack in May 1847, left her permanently liemiplegic on the right side, the power of voluntary mo- tion being complelely abolished, and but little sensibility being pre- sei-ved, though reflex movements could be excited in the lower extremity by tickling the sole of the foot. For the rest of her life she remained altogether incapable of speech, not being able to say yes or no in reply to a simple question, and never getting beyond the utterance of the monosyllable dat-dat; and yet all her senses were intact, the motions of the tongue were free, and there was no difficulty of deglutition. She did not seem to have lost any of her intellectual powers; but her emo- tional sensibility was certainly increased. Her general health continued good up to the time of the last fatal seizure, which occurred in April 1850, without any pi-emonitory symptoms. At the post mortem exa- mination, the upper two-thirds of the anterior lobe of the left hemi- sphere was found to be a pulpy mass, in a state of complete destruction, with colourless softening; while the middle and posterior lobes were sound and healthy; but the greatest change was in the ganglionic masses at their base, and in the commissural structure. The upper half of the corpus striatum on the left side was destroyed by softening; the optic thalamus was shnmken to less than half its natural size, its upper sur- face being greatly wasted; while, on the right side, a small and recent apoplectic clot was seen on the upper and anterior surface of the corpus striatum, the whole of the upper half of which was in a state of rarnol- lisscvient; while on the upper surface of the thalamus also were noticed some indications of white softening. The corpus callosum was destroyed, except at its anterior and inferior reflexion; and the anterior commissure and fornix were gone. Microscopic examination of the softened parts presented an abundance of compound cells, and of fatty matter in the capillaries. Now, in this case, it was quite evident that, v.'ith the dis- organisation of the left anterior lobe, its functional power was entirely • I brought this case under the notice of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical So- ciety, in a paper re.ad June iith, 1850.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21479665_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
