An investigation into the functions of the occipital and temporal lobes of the monkey's brain / by Sanger Brown and E.A. Schäfer.

  • Brown, Sanger, 1852-1928.
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An investigation into the functions of the occipital and temporal lobes of the monkey's brain / by Sanger Brown and E.A. 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.

    4/34 (page 304)
    and the dressings were removed, and in every case the wound was found to be completely closed, the edges of the skin being closely united, no sign of meningitis nor of any septic mischief being at any time perceptible. In one exceptional case, however, in which the antiseptic precautions had, from over confidence, been relaxed, the asepticism was incomplete, and sloughing of the skin over the seat of operation resulted, so that the animal had to be killed within a few days of the performance of the operation. This case will be mentioned in due course. In a few instances, after exposing the part of the brain which was to be removed, and previous to such removal, we explored the exposed surface with the interrupted current. Since in these cases the surface of the brain had been exposed to the influence of carbolic acid, and, moreover, the animal was somewhat deeply anaesthetized, the results were somewhat uncertain, and in very many cases negative, even from parts where the experiments of previous observers would have led one to expect positive results. These incidental electrical explorations are not, therefore, of very great value, especially where their result has been negative ; but such positive results as we succeeded in obtaining were duly recorded, so as to be available for future use. They will not, however, be included in the present communication. We will now pass to the actual record of our experiments, giving them in the order in which they were performed. Afterwards we shall endeavour to point out the conclusions which seem to us to be warranted by the results which we have obtained, and to show in what particulars they agree with or differ from the results obtained by other experimenters. I. A small but vigorous Jew Monkey, d. First Operation.—Removal of the anterior extremity (apex) of the right temporal lobe. [The 'post-mortem examination of the brain showed that the entire mesial aspect of the apex was not included in the lesion.] Result.—Attempts were made to determine whether sapid substances were less readily detected upon one side of the mouth than the other, but without success. Second Operation.—This was performed a week after the first, the same lesion being established upon the other side of the brain. Result.—Two days after this second operation, the animal, which was quite normal in its behaviour and appearance, and showed no signs of any motor paralysis nor any deficiency in sight, hearing, or general sensation, was tested in the following way :— Raisins and pieces of apple were given, and devoured with gusto. A raisin was then stuffed with sulphate of quinine, so that the drug was entirely concealed ; this was seized and bitten eagerly as usual. But as soon as the quinine was reached the animal showed signs of dissatisfaction, smelled the raisin several times, appeared to taste it again, and finally threw it away. A piece of apple was then taken and its surface covered with the drug, which was rubbed in so as not to be recognisable by