PARALYSIS 



974 



PARALYSIS 



Table of. P., Essential. See P., Infantile. P., 

 Exhaustion, a functional paralysis due to exhaustion 

 of the nerve-centers by overwork. P., Facial, a 

 paralysis of the muscles of the face, usually of one 

 side only. It may be peripheral or central. P. 

 festinans. Synonym of P. agitans. P., Galloping, 

 a swiftly destructive form of general paralysis. P., 

 General (of the Insane), General Paresis ; Paralytic 

 Dementia ; Paretic Dementia ; Progressive Paralysis 

 of the Insane; an organic disease of the brain, char- 

 acterized by progressive loss of power and by a de- 

 terioration of the mental faculties, ending eventually 

 in dementia and death. In the early stages of the 

 disease there are fibrillar tremblings, especially of the 

 tongue and face. Speech is early disturbed. The 

 disease is often associated with posterior spinal sclerosis. 

 In cases presenting this type the knee-jerk is absent. 

 The pupils very early show changes ; they may be 

 unequal, irregular in outline, myotic, or may present 

 the Argyll-Robertson phenomenon. Death may result 

 from epileptiform or apoplectiform seizures or from 

 general exhaustion. The affection is most common in 

 males between the ages of thirty and sixty. It is induced 

 by overwork and mental and physical strain, intem- 

 perance, syphilis, and lead-poisoning. The lesion 

 is essentially a meningo-encephalitis, with thick- 

 ening of the cerebral meninges and . wasting of 

 the cortical substance. P., General Spinal, Sub- 

 acute and Chronic Atrophic Spinal Paralysis ; Sub- 

 acute and Chronic Anterior Poliomyelitis ; Progressive 

 Muscular Atrophy ; Wasting Palsy ; Chronic Spinal 

 Aluscular Atrophy, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; 

 a chronic disease of the spinal cord, characterized by 

 paralysis followed by atrophy involving first the lower 

 and then the upper extremities. It is due to an atrophy 

 of the ganglionic cells in the anterior gray matter of the 

 cord. The causes of the disease are obscure ; it usu- 

 ally occurs between the ages of thirty and fifty. P., 

 Glosso-labio-laryngeal, P., Glosso-labio-pharyn- 

 geal, P., Glosso-laryngeal, P., Glosso-pharyn- 

 geal. See P., Bulbar. P., Glossoplegic. Synonym 

 of Glossoplegia. P., Gubler's. See Gubler. P., 

 Hemiplegic. See Hemiplegia. P., Hysteric, a par- 

 alysis occurring in hysteric subjects and simulating 

 organic disease. It is usually accompanied by im- 

 pairment or loss of sensation, by peculiar contractions, 

 and the other hysteric stigmata. P., Idiopathic. 

 Synonym of Tetany. P., Indian-bow, paralysis of 

 the thyro-arytenoid muscles. P., Infantile, Acute 

 Anterior Poliomyelitis ; Acute Atrophic Paralysis; 

 Atrophic Spinal Paralysis ; Essential Paralysis ; 

 a disease peculiar to childhood, and characterized 

 by sudden paralysis of one or more limbs or of 

 individual muscle-groups, and followed by rapid wast- 

 ing of the affected parts, with reaction of degenera- 

 tion and deformity. It is most common in the first 

 year, and during the warm months. It may be 

 produced by traumatism, exposure to cold, or may 

 follow an exanthem. The tendency is now to con- 

 sider it infectious. The paralysis is due to changes in 

 the anterior cornua of the gray matter of the spinal 

 cord, with degeneration of the multipolar cells and 

 gradual disappearance of their processes. In ac- 

 cordance with the occurrence of these changes in the 

 lumbar or cervical region the legs or arms are affected. 

 P., Infantile Spastic. See P., Cerebral (of child- 

 hood). P., Intermittent, a form due to malarial 

 poisoning. P., Intra-peduncular, one involving the 

 muscles of the eye in consequence of a lesion 

 situated between the crura cerebri. P., Ischemic, 

 paralysis of a part due to cutting off of the cir- 

 culation, e. g. , paralysis of the lower limb follow- 



ing embolism or thrombosis of the femoral artery. 

 P., Klumpke's, an atrophic paralysis of the inter- 

 ossei and thenar and hypothenar muscles, with anes- 

 thesia of the forearm and fingers and contracted 

 pupils. The lesion is probably in the spinal cord, at 

 the level of the first and second thoracic nerve-roots. 

 P., Labio-glosso-laryngeal. See P. , Bulbar. P., 

 Landry's. Same as P., Acute Ascending. P., La- 

 ryngeal, a paralysis usually peripheral, of one or 

 more laryngeal muscles, on one or on both sides. 

 P., Lead, a paralysis usually of the extensors of 

 the wrist, causing wrist-drop. It is nearly always 

 bilateral and is due to a peripheral neuritis induced 

 by lead-poisoning. P., Lenticular, one resembling 

 bulbar paralysis, due to hemorrhage into the lenticular 

 nucleus of each side. P., Lingual. Synonym* of 

 Glossoplegia. P., Little's. Synonym of P., Infan- 

 tile. P., Local, one confined to a single muscle or 

 group of muscles. P., Masticatory, paralysis of one 

 or more of the muscles supplied by the motor trunk 

 of the trigeminal nerve. P., Mimetic, a feigned 

 palsy. P., Motor, paralysis of the voluntary muscles. 

 P., Musculo-spiral, paralysis of the extensors and 

 supinators of the wrist, due to an injury or to inflamma- 

 tion of the musculo-spiral nerve. P., Myogenic. See 

 P., Infantile. P., Myopathic, palsy due to prim- 

 ary disease of the muscles. P., Neural, paralysis 

 due to peripheral neuritis. P. notariorum. Sec 

 Writers' Cramp. P., Nuclear, one due to a lesion 

 of the nuclei of origin of a cranial nerve. P., Ob- 

 stetric, any paralysis of the child resulting from 

 injuries received during delivery. P., Occupation. 

 See Occupation-neurosis . P., Organic, one due to a 

 structural lesion in the nervous system or in the 

 muscles, as opposed to functional. P., Painters'. 

 Synonym of P., Lead. P., Paraplegic. See Para- 

 .plegia. P., Periodic, a non-febrile paralysis of the 

 arms and legs or neck and pharynx occurring in periodic 

 attacks of short duration. P., Peripheral, loss of 

 power due to a lesion of the nervous motor mechanism 

 between the nuclei of origin and the peripheral termi- 

 nation, as distinguished from loss of power due to a 

 lesion between the cortical centers and (including) the 

 nuclei. P., Phonetic, P., Phonic, laryngeal pararjii 

 in which the tensors and adductors of the vocal bands 

 are involved. P., Phosphoric, a paralysis brought 

 about by poisoning with phosphorus. P., Post-febrile, 

 a so-called functional paralysis sometimes occurring 

 during convalescence from certain fevers. P., Pres- 

 sure, paralysis of a group of muscles supplied by a 

 nerve which has been subjected to prolonged pressure. 

 P. procursoria. Synonym of P. agitans. P., Pro- 

 gressive Bulbar. See P., Bulbar. P., Pseudo- 

 (of rickets). See P., Rachitic Pseudo-. P., Pseudo- 

 bulbar, a symmetric lesion of the halves of the 

 cerebrum producing paralysis of the lips, the tongue, 

 and the larynx or the pharynx. P., Pseudo- 

 hypertrophic, Lipomatous Muscular Atrophy : Du- 

 chenne' s Paralysis ; a chronic disease characterized 

 by progressive muscular weakness, associated with 

 an apparent hypertrophy of the affected muscles. 

 There is an interstitial fibrous overgrowth of the mus- 

 cles, frequently accompanied by an accumulation 

 of fat and atrophy of the true muscle-fibei 

 disease usually begins in the muscles of the calf, and 

 spreads over the body, the muscles of the hand almost 

 always escaping. There is marked lordosis ami a i bar 

 acteristic gait with wide separation of the legs and -way 

 ing of the body from side to side. The characteristic 

 symptom is the manner in which the patient arises 

 from the floor — he " climbs" up on his legs, on ac- 

 count of the weakened state of the extensor muscles 



