Craniectomy for idiocy with notes of a case / by T. Telford-Smith.

  • Telford-Smith, Telford.
Date:
[1897]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Craniectomy for idiocy with notes of a case / by T. Telford-Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    Mr. Edward Cotterell performed the operation of linear craniec- tomy in three sections, removing portions of the craninm on J August 13th, August 27th, and Septemher 12th, 1895. The boy ^recovered quickly and well from each operation. As to the result, so far, of the operations (20 months l after) the parents assert that they can see no actual mental i change, that is to say, no increase in the child's intelligence. [The boy is still speechless, and seems almost to quite lack ■ideas. The one marked result they see is a cessation of head- ;knocking and a freedom from the restlessness and crying out ■which he formerly exhibited. They say that before the i operation the boy used to knock his head most violently i with his hands, or against the wall, or furniture; he used, i also, to cry out as if in pain, and was very restless. His i condition, for these reasons, was most distressing to witness, i Since the operation they say he has given up these knock- ings of the head and the crying out, and certainly at present these symptoms are absent. He is only slightly restless, and somewhat inclined to be fretful. Another point they notice is that before operation he did mot seem to feel pain in a normal manner; the violent head- ;knocking did not appear to cause him any discomfort, but mow he is sensitive to ordinary degrees of pain, like an ; average child of his age. It cannot but be admitted that this cessation of head- ; knocking and extreme restlessness is a marked improvement ; in the patient's condition, and both the parents say that they would willingly again submit the child to operation, even if they knew beforehand that this would be the full extent of the improvement; and they think the risk, anxiety, and ex- i pense were worth incurring for this change in his symptoms, kand with this sentiment I think most people would agree. The following extracts are quoted from the notes of the i patient N. L., a microcephalic idiot boy, on whom linear craniectomy was performed by Mr. Victor Horsley :— Before operation*—Constantly puts his hands to his ■ head, and cries out as if in pain there; knocks and slaps his ihead with his hands. ' • Craniectomy, with the After-History of Two Cases, by T. Telford- omith, M.D. Journal of Mental Science, January, 1896. Also see British Medical Journal, September 21st, 1895, and On Craniectomy in Mioro- cephaly, by Viotor Horsley, B.S., F.B.S. British Medical Journal, Sep. tember 12th, 1891.