Symptoms of Motor Aphasia.—­The patient cannot make the muscles of the larynx, tongue, palate and lips perform their functions and produce speech.  The patient knows what he wishes to say, but cannot pronounce it.  This may be complete or partial.  Complete, when the patient can only utter separate sounds.  Partial, when the words are only slightly mispronounced and when some certain words cannot be pronounced at all.  In some cases, nouns only or verbs cannot be pronounced.  Agraphia, means inability to write down the thoughts.  Sensory aphasia:  word deafness.  This is an inability to interpret spoken language.  The sound of the word is not recognized and cannot be recalled; but sounds such as that of an engine whistle, or an alarm clock, are heard and recognized.  Word-blindness:  the person cannot interpret written language.  Pharaphrasia:  cannot use the right word in continued speech; the patient uses words but misplaces them.

[292 Mothers’ remedies]

Recovery depends a great deal upon the cause.

Treatment.—­Treat the cause.  If from syphilis, iodide of potash and mercury.  If from an injury or tumors, operate if possible.  Teach the patient how to speak, read and write.  The result of this often gives you a pleasant surprise.

[Illustration:  Hand Nerves.]

Writers’ cramp.  Causes.—­This occurs much oftener in men than in women, and usually between the ages of twenty-five and forty.  The predisposing causes are a nervous constitution, heredity, alcoholism, worry, etc.  The chief exciting cause,—­excessive writing, especially when it is done under a strain.

Symptoms.—­It usually begins with fatigue, weight, or actual pain in the affected muscles.  In the spasm form the fingers are seized with a constant or intermittent spasm whenever the person grasps the pen.  The neuralgic form is similar in symptoms but severe pain and fatigue comes with writing.  The tremulous form:  In this the hand when used becomes the seat of the decided tremor.  The paralytic form:  The chief symptoms are excessive weakness and fatigue of the part and these disappear when the pen is laid aside.

Recovery.—­If taken in time and if the hand is allowed perfect rest, the condition may improve rapidly.  There is, however, a tendency to recur.

Physicians’ treatment for Writers’ Cramps.—­There must be absolute rest of the hand.  General tonics, such as iron, strychnine, arsenic, and cod-liver oil may be needed to tone up the system.

Apoplexy. (Cerebral Hemorrhage). (Brain Hemorrhage).  Causes.—­Bleeding (hemorrhage) into the brain substance is almost always due to an affection of the walls of the large or small arteries of the brain, producing rupture and subsequent bleeding.  Persons of fifty or over are more subject to it, and it is more common in men than in women.  Any disease that will cause degeneration of the arteries, helps to cause it, such as nephritis, rheumatism, syphilis, gout and alcoholism.  Nephritis is one of the most certain causes, because arterio-sclerosis (hardening and decaying of the walls of the arteries) and hypertrophy of the heart are associated with nephritis, etc.