Natural History. 433 



numbness in the whole of the left inferior extremity* It appeared 

 to him as if his foot was sinking into the earth, and he held his 

 thigh firmly with his hands to prevent himself from pressing so 

 heavily ,upon the ground. Almost at the same instant, the numb- 

 ness extended itself over the whole of the left side of the body ; he 

 hastened home in much alarm, and walked without difficulty. The 

 next d^y he was in the following state : — intellectual faculties unim- 

 paired ; pulse unaffected ; he could walk and move his arms as 

 usual, except that the elevation of the arm by means of the deltoid 

 was somewhat limited. He was not conscious of the movements 

 he executed, nor of the impression of the bodies he touched. The 

 skin of the whole of the left side of the body was perfectly insen- 

 sible, it was pinched and pricked violently, without producing pain 

 or indeed any sensation at all. On the anterior part of the body, the 

 median line was not the precise limit of the sensible part. On th 



3 



left side the skin was still easily sensitive to the extent of about a 

 inch beyond the central division, but beyond this distance it was 

 perfectly insensible. On the affected side neither the sense of sight 

 nor hearing was altered, but those of smell and taste were abolished. 

 If the left side of the tongue was moistened with strong vinegar, 

 the patient was unconscious of the slightest impression, whilst the 

 flavour of the liquid was keenly perceptible by the other half of 

 the organ. Strong odours placed under the nostril of the affected 

 side were not perceived, excepting when a deep inspiration was 

 made, but then the odoriferous molecules arrived at the right nos- 

 tril by the posterior opening of the nasal fossa. When a hand was 

 placed across the patient's head, that part only of it was felt, which 

 pressed upon the right half of the head. Every treatment that wa^i 

 suggested was ineffectual. '' 



A few months after the attack, M. Loriot had resumed his ordi'*^ 

 nary occupations. For some time he felt occasionally dull trarf-'^ 

 sient pains on the hemiplegic side. He could move the limbs dii'' 

 that side without difficulty, but still he felt their motive powers 

 were inferior in degree to those of the other side. In other respects 

 the constitution of the patient had not apparently suffered.— Bk^ 

 des Sci. Medicates, u>\.uyii) hnf: v/-i:.7r.>-> ^^-.^u 



A, Spontaneous Combustion of both Hands. — The following casi'* 

 of spontaneous human combustion, from the Archives Gen. de M4'»^ 

 decine, for March 1829, is given as superior in point of authenticitji ^ 

 to any former one on record. A gentleman of a robust healthy con- 

 stitution, and temperate habits, 24 years of age, extinguished with 

 his hands the burning clothes of his brother, who had accidentally 

 set fire to them with sulphur, and was immediately afterwards at- 

 tacked with aubh acute pain in both hands, as to compel him to cry 

 out for assistance. A woman who came to his succour, observed 

 that both hands were surrounded by a blue flame. This at first 

 was supposed to be occasioned by the sulphur adhering to them, 

 and an attempt was made to extinguish the flame with cold water. 



