PARALYSIS 



Paralysis. l>wa of power to 

 . ..nil 11 i muscles or IOM of sensa- 



linli. Two widely dillcient f' 

 paralysis occur, namely tut;. 

 b, lin li is a manifest 



nut associated 



\Mtli ie< o.'ui/alile changes in the 

 nerve*, und 



In. h is duo to disease or destruc- 

 in. n nt .1 i,. 



! paralysis most fre- 

 quent ly follow* ;i severe Hhock, 

 cither mriitiil i-r ph\-ical. Func- 

 tional paralysis may also follow mi 

 ic injury, with or without 

 iiivnhi .nii-iit <if 11 nerve, which has 

 necessitated the patient keeping a 

 liml) in a fixed position (as m a 

 splint) for a considerable tune. 

 Auv form of organic paralysis may 

 be simulated by the functional 

 type. A group of muscles alone 

 may U> affected, or there may be 

 paralysis of an arm or a leg, or 

 more than one limb. With the loss 

 of power in the muscles there may 

 be loss of sensation in the skin. A 

 functionally paralysed linil) may be 

 quite limp and flaccid, or there may 

 be a lirm contracture of groups of 

 muscles, the latter condition being 

 more frequent after a wound. 



Functional paralysis is due to a 

 fixed idea in the mind of the indivi- 

 dual, following the shock he has 

 received, that the limb is actually 

 powerless, an idea which it is often 

 (liHicult to dispel. Treatment 

 accordingly is directed towards 

 breaking down this resistance and 

 inducing him to use the affected 

 muscles. Sometimes recovery 

 occurs suddenly, as a result of a 

 shock or fright. Usually, how- 

 ever, recovery under treatment is 

 brought about by a process of con- 

 st ant persuasion and re-education 

 in the use of the muscles. 



Organic paralysis is a symptom 

 of many diseases of the nervous 

 system, which are accompanied by 

 degenerative changes in the nerves, 

 or it may be the result of injury to 

 a nerve. When the nerve which is 

 the immediate supply of a group of 

 muscles is severed, as for example 

 by a bullet, the paralysed muscles 

 are limp, show marked wasting, 

 and eventually lose the power of 

 reacting to electrical stimuli. Para- 

 lysis may also be due to injuries of 

 nerves or nerve centres, which do 

 not immediately supply muscles. 

 I .lit control the nerve cells which do 

 supply the muscles, as in the para- 

 lysis of limbs following an injury to 

 the brain, or haemorrhage into the 

 brain from rupture of an artery, as 

 in apoplexy. 



The diseases most frequently 

 responsible for organic paralysis 

 ar? apoplexy, locomotor ataxia, 

 disseminated sclerosis, and anterior 

 poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis. 



seca 



Treatment should be directed 

 is maintaining the ton.- . .( 

 tin muscles for an long M possible 

 by manage, electricity, and >|. 

 ite passive moveim -nt. See 

 Apoplexy; Hemiplcu'iii ; Infantile 

 ParalyitiM; 1'ai 

 Paraplegia ; i < i 



W. A. Brand. M.D. 



Paralysis Agitans "K SIHKIM; 

 PAI.SY. Chronic disease of tip 

 ous system. It usually occurs in 

 people past middle life, men being 

 more frequently affected than 

 women, and is incurable. The 

 cause is unknown, but exposure 

 to cold and wet, and mental 

 anxiety or shock appear to be pre- 

 eipitating factors in some cases. 

 The disease comes on gradually, 

 and is characterised by tremor, 

 which may occur in the hands or 

 feet or both. Movements of the 

 thumb and lingers resemble those 

 that would be made in rolling a 

 pill. Sometimes the head is also 

 affected by the tremor. Weakness 

 of the muscles occurs, and the 

 movements of the limbs become 

 slow and stiff. The attitude of the 

 patient is characteristic, the head 

 being bent forward and the back 

 bowed. The face is expressionless 

 and mask-like. 



Paramaribo. Capital of Dutch 

 Guiana. The city is situated at the 

 confluence of the Surinam and 

 Commewine rivers, some 10 m. 

 from the sea. The commodious 

 harbour is fortified by the two 

 forts of Zeelandia and New Am- 

 sterdam. Coffee, cocoa, sugar, and 

 rum are exported. Pop. 37,000. 



Paramoeciuxn OR SLIPPER ANI- 

 MALCULE (Gr. paramekia, oblong). 

 Lowly infusorian animal belonging 

 to the phylum Protozoa. Just 

 visible as a speck to the naked 

 eye, it is common in infusions of 

 decaying vegetable matter, and 

 can usually be secured by steeping 

 rotting leaves in water for a few 

 days. It is oval and flattened in 

 form, one end being thicker than 



Parana. Argentina. Plata and cathedral ol S. Mi*uel 



PARANA 



the other, and it *wiws freely by 



mean* of the \il.i.itile cilia with 



which it is covered. There w no 



!i, the fix*! particles being 



iied l.y the i 



plasm ceiierallv. Keprodixt ion 

 i n. each animal 

 splittin:.' into two. 



Parana. Second largest river in 

 S. An. etna With thelJruguay, it 

 iM-cupies the Plate Katun between 

 the BncttiM Highlands and tin- 

 Andes of linlivia ; it drains the 

 great lowland which extends N. 

 from Buenos Aires to the Matto 

 Grosso. The Parana begins at the 

 continence of the I'aranahyba and 

 Kn. (.ramie. tl.ws s.\V. as far as 

 Posadas, W. until it receives the 

 Paraguay, and then S.S.W. past 

 Corrientes to Rosario, whence it 

 goes S.E. to the Rio de la Plata. In 

 its upper course in Brazil it re- 

 cei\e, many rapid rivers. Above 

 the great Guaira Falls the main 

 stream is navigable for 400 m. 



Below the falls the Parana forms 

 the boundary of Paraguay ; below 

 Posadas are the Falls of Apipe, 

 below which navigation is unin- 

 terrupted for vessels of 300 tons. 

 Below Corrientes it flows through 

 Argentina past La Paz, Santa F6, 

 Parana, and the great river port of 

 Rosario ; in this section it receives 

 its second great tributary from the 

 Andes, the Salado. Its total length 

 is estimated at 2,500 m. It was 

 first ascended as far as the Para- 

 guay by Sebastian Cabot in 1520. 



Parana. State of S. Brazil It 

 extends between the Parana river 

 on the frontier of Paraguay and 

 the Atlantic Ocean. The Serra do 

 Mar rises sharply from the shore as 

 part of the Brazilian Highlands, 

 from which the long slope to the 

 W. is drained by the Paranapan- 

 ema, Ivahy, Piquiry, and Iguassu, 

 all affluents of the Parana river. 

 The W., the narrow coastal low- 

 land, and the mis. are all forested, 

 and the forested lowlands are hot, 

 damp, and un- 

 ^^B healthy. Much 

 timber is cut 

 from the forests. 

 Mate, cotton, 

 cereals, and fruits 

 are cultivated on 

 the fertile up 

 lands, and rice on 

 the coastal low- 

 lands. Curityba 

 is the capital. It- 

 area is 85,451 sq. 

 m. Pop. 410,000. 

 Parana. City 

 of Argentina 

 capital of t he 

 state of E n t r e 

 Rios. Situated on 

 the river Parana 



IP 7 



