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ME. J. L. CLARKE ON THE INTIMATE STEUCTUEE OE THE BEAIN. 
as subservient to both speech and expression. Duges and Solly have adopted the 
opinion of Willis. Seeees concluded, from pathological facts, that the olivary bodies 
influence the movements of the heart. According to him, isolated and chronic altera- 
tions of these bodies cause a jerking and irregular action of the heart*. He also found 
that stammering was associated with structural alterations of the upper parts of the 
olivary bodies close to the pons. In my memoir “ On the Medulla Oblongata” (1858), 
I concluded, on anatomical grounds, that these bodies are probably the coordinating 
centres for the different nuclei of the medulla oblongata ; that is, that they are the 
motor and associating agents by which the different complex movements dependent on 
the medulla are carried on. Scheodee van dee Kolk concluded, both from anatomy 
and pathology, that the olivary bodies are subservient chiefly to articulate speech and 
deglutition. He collected from different sources, and recorded, several cases of loss of 
speech, in which these bodies were more or less altered in structure. Two exceedingly 
interesting cases of the same kind have come under my own observation. 
(78) A lady, setat 55, fell down suddenly in a state of unconsciousness. When she 
recovered her senses, she was hemiplegic on the right side, and unable to speak. This 
was the state in which I found her. She regained the use of her arm and leg, with only 
some slight remaining weakness, and the power of articulation returned with only some 
slight impediment. During the next four or five years she had several slight and partial 
attacks of paralysis, with some additional defect of articulation. She had chalky con- 
cretions in the joints of her fingers, and during some of the paralytic attacks, she had 
what appeared to be gouty inflammation of their joints. On subsiding it left behind 
chalky deposits. Two years before her death deglutition became much impaired. A 
year later she had an attack of partial unconsciousness, which rapidly passed away ; but 
from that time the power of articulation was almost lost. She could say “ Yes,” “ No,” 
“ Shan’t,” and one or two other short words, but nothing more. At this time she was 
almost wholly unable to protrude her tongue. During two months or more she entirely 
lost the power to swallow, and was nourished by means of injections. She took 
strychnine and iron ; and regained the power of deglutition sufficiently to dispense with 
injections, although she was a long time in swallowing even a small quantity of liquid 
food. She swallowed best in a recumbent posture, and it was evident that the pha- 
ryngeal muscles were considerably paralysed. A large collection of mucus in the air- 
passages frequently excited spasmodic coughing ; but she had scarcely any voluntary 
power over the respiratory muscles, and was unable to cough voluntarily. She could 
scarcely do more than whisper the few words she was able to articulate. The power of 
straining was completely lost, and large quantities of fsecal matter collected in the 
rectum. Both arms and legs were very weak, especially the latter, so that she could 
scarcely walk, even with assistance. Sensation was unaffected. 
On post-mortem examination the kidneys were found to be very small and very gra- 
nular on their surface ; their cortical portions were much atrophied, with two or three 
* Anatomie Comparee du Cerveau, tom. ii. p. 231. 
