Chap. XXIX.] SPEECH AND THOUGHT. 6G9 



was quite unable to remedy the defect. After the expiration of 

 eight months, however, he was so far improved that he was able to 

 repeat the same bye-law after Dr. Osborn as follows : — *' It may he 

 in the 'power of the College to evhavine or not ariatin any licentiate 

 seviously to his amission to a spoloivship, as they shall thinlc fit." 

 Some little time after this Dr. Osborn says he " repeated the same 

 bye-law after me perfectly well, with the exception of the word 

 * power,' which he constantly pronounced prier. He was also able 

 to pronounce all the letters of the alphabet except d, Jc, and c." 

 He progressed in this way under the directions of Dr. Osborn, who 

 advised him to commence learning to speak again like a child, 

 repeating first the letters of the alphabet, and subsequently words, 

 after another person, on the ground that he had "lost, not the 

 power, but the art of using the vocal organs." 



In this strange hut very interesting case there seems to 

 have been no appreciable mental defect. It appears con- 

 ceivable that a disordered relation between the Auditory 

 and the Kinaesthetic Word-Centres, or else a disordered 

 activity of the latter Centres themselves, may have 

 sufficed to induce some such defect. 



Trousseau records another interesting case, in which 

 there was an absence of mental defect and a simple 

 inability to Speak. He says : — 



"I received one day in my consulting-room a carrier of the Paris 

 Halles, very young, and having the appearance of a man enjoying 

 excellent health. He made signs that he could not speak, and 

 handed to me a note in which the history of his illness was detailed. 

 Jle had %vritten the note himself, with a very steady hand, and had 

 worded it well. A few days previously he had suddenly lost his 

 senses, and had been unconscious for nearly an hour. When he 

 came round he exhibited no symptom of paralysis, but could noi 

 articulate a single word. He moved his tongue perfectly, he 

 swallowed with ease, but, however much he tried, he could not 

 utter a word. He was ineffectually galvanized for a fortnight, 

 but without any special treatment he completely recovered his 

 speech five or six weeks after the invasion of the complaint. It is 

 very remarkable, however, that during the whole course of this 



