Rough Ways Made Smooth: A series of familiar essays on scientific subjectsProctor, Richard A. (Richard Anthony)
Science
Rough Ways Made Smooth: A series of familiar essays on scientific subjects
Proctor, Richard A. (Richard Anthony)
Science
It does not appear to me that there is in the case of Felida X. any
valid reason for regarding the theory of two brains as the only
available explanation. It is a noteworthy circumstance, that the pains
preceding each change of condition affected both sides of the head.
Some modification of the circulation seems suggested as the true
explanation of the changes in condition, though the precise nature
of such modification, or how it may have been brought about, would
probably be very difficult to determine. The state of health, however,
on which the attacks depended seems to have affected the whole body of
the patient, and the case presents no features suggesting any lateral
localisation of the cerebral changes.
On the other hand, the case of Sergeant F. (a few of the circumstances
of which were mentioned in my essay entitled 'Have we two Brains?'),
seems to correspond with Dr. Holland's theory, though that theory is
far from explaining all the circumstances. The man was wounded by
a bullet which fractured his _left_ parietal bone, and his _right_
arm and leg were almost immediately paralysed. When he recovered
consciousness three weeks later, the _right_ side of the body was
completely paralysed, and remained so for a year. These circumstances
indicate that the cause of the mischief still existing lay in the shock
which the left side of the brain received when the man was wounded.
The right side may have learned (as it were) to exercise the functions
formerly belonging to the left side, and thus the paralysis affecting
the right side until this had happened may have passed away. These
points are discussed in the essay above named, however, and need not
here detain us. Others which were not then dealt with may now be
noted with advantage. We would specially note some which render it
doubtful whether in the abnormal condition the man's brain acts at all,
whether in fact his condition, so far as consciousness was concerned,
is not similar to that of a frog deprived of its brain in a certain
well-known experiment. (This appears to be the opinion to which
Professor Huxley inclines, though, with proper scientific caution, he
seems disposed to suspend his judgment.) The facts are very singular,
whatever the explanation may be.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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