Sept. 3, 1916. Lumbar intervertebral arthritis with compression of roots.
Nov. 4, 1916. Myelopathic disorder.
Dec. 5, 1916. Old complex spinal disorder.
Souques remarks that these diagnoses show that knowledge about camptocormia has not penetrated into most of the sanitary formations (1917).
Astasia-Abasia.
Case 402. (Guillain and Barré, January, 1916.)
A soldier was evacuated to the 6th Army neurological center for paraplegia with tremor. He had been in various hospitals for a period of a year. The tendon reflexes of the arms appeared increased; there was a suspicion of patellar clonus and of foot clonus, and it had been proposed to invalid the man for spastic paralysis. In point of fact, the man was suffering from an epileptoid trepidation of the foot and of the patella. When he was lying down, his motor disorders practically passed away, though they had been very marked when he tried to stand upright or to walk. He had much trouble in walking, but could readily stand for some time on one leg.
The man was forthwith treated by persuasive methods. It is important to find out the organic lesion which in all probability served as a starting point for the functional disease, and important to remove or abolish this lesion however minute if a complete and lasting cure is to be obtained.
Re astasia-abasia, writers have remarked that it is one of the commonest hysterical syndromes in the war, though somewhat rare in its complete form. Roussy and Lhermitte state that it usually follows the explosion of a large calibre projectile and has a rapid onset. It is often an isolated phenomenon, without emotional or other Shell-shock complications. The victim has been thrown to the ground and rolled into a trench or hollow. Sometimes the victim gets back to the first-aid post, only to find himself on arrival at the ambulance wholly unable to walk. The legs, however, are drawn along inertly, as in paraplegia, or a pronounced contracture interferes with walking.