The Mind Hacks blog (http://mindhacks.com/2013/01/19/owner-of-brocas-area-identified/) today reported on an article in the Journal of the History of the Neurosciences in which details about the life of Broca's patient "Tan" are described (Domanki, 2013). The following is a passage from the journal article that is quoted in the blog post:
"According to the Broca’s report, the health problems of Louis Victor Leborgne became apparent during his youth, when he suffered the first fits of epilepsy. Although epileptic, Louis Victor Leborgne was a working person. He lived in Paris, in the third district. His profession is given as “formier” (a common description in the nineteenth century used for craftsmen who produced forms for shoemakers). "Leborgne worked until the age of 30 when the loss of speech occurred. It is not known if the damage to the left side of Leborgne’s brain had anything to do with traumas sustained during fits of epilepsy nor, as reported in some recent publications, does it appear to have been caused by syphilis, as that was not indicated in Broca’s reports. The immediate cause for his hospitalization was his problem with communicating. "Leborgne was admitted to the Bicêtre hospital two or three months after losing his ability to speak. Perhaps at first this might have been perceived as a temporary loss, but the defect proved incurable. Because Leborgne was unmarried, he could not be released to be cared for by close relatives; he therefore spent the rest of his life (21 years total) in the hospital." Best, Jeff Reference Domanski, C. W. (2013). Mysterious “Monsieur Leborgne”: The mystery of the famous patient in the history of neuropsychology is explained. Journal of the History of the Neurosciences: Basic and Clinical Perspectives, 22, 47-52. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2012.667528 -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeffry Ricker, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology PSY 101 Website: http://sccpsy101.wordpress.com/ Knowing Ourselves: http://psysci.com/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scottsdale Community College 9000 E. Chaparral Road Scottsdale, AZ 85256-2626 Office: SB-123 Phone: (480) 423-6213 Fax: (480) 423-6298 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=23190 or send a blank email to leave-23190-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
