The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2)James, William
Philosophy
The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2)
James, William
Psychology
_In the monkey_, doctors also disagree. The truth seems, however, to be
that the _occipital lobes_ in this animal also are the part connected
most intimately with the visual function. The function would seem to
go on when very small portions of them are left, for Ferrier found no
'appreciable impairment' of it after almost complete destruction of
them on both sides. On the other hand, he found complete and permanent
blindness to ensue when they and the _angular gyri_ in addition were
destroyed on both sides. Munk, as well as Brown and Schaefer, found no
disturbance of sight from destroying the _angular gyri_ alone, although
Ferrier found blindness to ensue. This blindness was probably due to
inhibitions exerted _in distans_, or to cutting of the white optical
fibres passing under the angular gyri on their way to the occipital
lobes. Brown and Schaefer got complete and permanent blindness in
one monkey from total destruction of both occipital lobes. Luciani
and Seppili, performing this operation on two monkeys, found that
the animals were only mentally, not sensorially, blind. After some
weeks they saw their food, but could not distinguish by sight between
figs and pieces of cork. Luciani and Seppili seem, however, not to
have extirpated the entire lobes. When one lobe only is injured the
affection of sight is hemiopic in monkeys: in this all observers agree.
On the whole, then, Munk's original location of vision in the occipital
lobes is confirmed by the later evidence.[22]
_In man_ we have more exact results, since we are not driven to
interpret the vision from the outward conduct. On the other hand,
however, we cannot vivisect, but must wait for pathological lesions
to turn up. The pathologists who have discussed these (the literature
is tedious _ad libitum_) conclude that the occipital lobes are the
indispensable part for vision in man. Hemiopic disturbance in both eyes
comes from lesion of either one of them, and total blindness, sensorial
as well as psychic, from destruction of both.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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