APHASIA. — From Gr., a, priv., and or cp(i(a, I speak.
Synonyms.—Aphrosia; alalia.
Definition.—A partial or total loss of the power of expressing one's self in speech or of understanding speech, which is dependent upon cerebral disorder.
Varieties.—There are two chief divi sions of the affection: motor, or emissive or projective, aphasia and sensory, or receptive or subjective, aphasia. Each of these varieties includes at least two elementary forms: aphemia and agra phia, as motor subdivisions, and visual aphasia, or word-blindness (alexia), and auditory aphasia, or word-deafness, as subvarieties of sensory aphasia. The motor aphasia may be complete (aphe mia) or there may be only some partial defect in the emissive mechanism of speech (dyslexia, paralexia, articulative ataxia, paraphasia, paralalia). The agra phia may likewise be complete (agraphia) or partial (paragraphic, dysgraphia). Pantomimic speech, so called,—which is an emissive form of speech in gestures, signs, etc.,—may be affected totally (amimia) or partially (paramimia) also. The more elaborate subdivisions of sen sory aphasia are based upon qualitative rather than quantitative impairment. In the older literature all forms of sensory aphasia were referred to collectively un der the term "amnesic aphasia," which included loss of the pictorial memory of letters and words and of the sounds of letters, words, and music. It included, also, loss of the power of understanding the meaning of figures, written music, and other symbols. In the more recent literature of the subject the term "am nesic aphasia" has been rather arbitrarily restricted to a loss of the naming rather than the ideational functions of speech memory. Loss of the ideational faculty is expressed by the term "apraxia" (mind or blindness). Both sensory and motor aphasia may be divided, as regards the anatomical basis, into the cortical and subcortical varieties. The terms "conceptional" and "conductive" are practically of identical significance with the terms "cortical" and "subcortical."
Symptoms.—Moron APHASIA (APHE mu). — In motor aphasia the voluntary act which must be carried out to give expression to thought by the phonetic co ordination of the muscles of the larynx, tongue, soft palate, and lips is not per formed. The patient is seldom unable to produce sound, but he can no longer produce an articulate sound. Although he understands what is said and can think, he is unable to give expression to his thought; it may be possible for him to pronounce letters or even meaning less words,—he may even retain some words,—but these are usually interjec tions of some kind. In some eases, nouns only or verbs only are forgotten. One language may be forgotten and another remembered. This variety of aphasia is usually encountered in persons who are affected with right hemiplegia. In some, however, who arc left-handed, there may be left hemiplegia. In some cases, al though speech is impossible, the patient ean articulate in singing, especially if certain well-known airs are sung, the words in that case having become inti mately connected with the notes.
Case of aphasia in a child which, though unable to utter a single word as regards spontaneous speech, could articulate in singing. KnobMuch (Jour. of Nerv. and Mental Die.. June, '92).
Case of total aphasia of articulation in which the patient was able to intone tie voice intelligently, as one does in speech.
agraphia; words readily understood. Brissaud (La Semaine Wed., Aug. 1, '94).
Case of traumatic aphasia dependent upon sun-stroke. Three attacks have oc curred in which the patient became un conscious, and was paralyzed in the right arm, leg, and lower part of the face. While recovering consciousness he began to speak in Norwegian: a language that lie had not used for many years. Later his language was a conglomeration of English and Norwegian. Eventually he recovered completely. E. Mackey (Brit. Med. Jour., Dec. 10, TS).