A Patient With Word Blindness in the Seventeenth Century

Journal of the History of the Neurosciences
Jan van Gijn

Abstract

Johann Jakob Wepfer (1620-1695), city physician in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, published two books on "apoplexy." He proposed new ideas about the events in the brain during such attacks, based on Harvey's theory of the circulation of the blood. Wepfer postulated extravasation of whole blood or serum in the brain, in opposition to the Galenic notion of blocked ventricles. His case histories are remarkably precise and untainted by interpretation. This allows the recognition of a patient with word blindness, who was also unable to read words written by himself. Unlike patients with pure "alexia without agraphia," he could not write complete sentences because of additional language defects, especially speech comprehension. Jules Dejerine (1849-1917) would, in 1892, not only describe a patient with the pure form of this syndrome (cécité verbale avec intégrité de l'écriture spontanée et sous dictée) but also provide an explanation of its anatomical basis.

References

Jul 13, 1974·Lancet·G Teasdale, B Jennett
Jun 1, 1965·Brain : a Journal of Neurology·N Geschwind
Aug 1, 1960·Archives of Neurology·A L BENTON, R J JOYNT
Oct 10, 2003·Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology·Tamas ReveszJanice L Holton
Jan 9, 2009·European Neurology·J M S Pearce

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Citations

Oct 27, 2020·Journal of the History of the Neurosciences·Claudio Luzzatti, Harry Whitaker

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