On the Chemical Pathology of the Brain

Extract

The chemistry of the nervous system is a subject to which little attention has been given by British authors, but their place has been creditably supplied by several foreign chemists, conspicuous among whom are Couërbe, Fremy, Von Bibra, Hauff, Walther, and Schlossberger. These writers have effected something as regards the chemical pathology of the brain in persons dying sane, but with the exception of a few isolated analyses whose results are sadly in want of confirmation, by Lassaigne, Couërbe, and L'Héritier, it may be said that absolutely nothing has been done in the case of the insane. In fact, the field is a terra incognita of unknown extent. I purpose, therefore, to devote some attention to this subject, and to communicate to the profession from time to time the results of such chemical analyses of insane brains as it may be in my power to make. With this view I shall take my starting-point from the results obtained by Bibra and others; and in order to present a standard for comparison, I shall give an abstract of what has been effected by these chemists. I find that this has been so thoroughly done by Von Gorup-Besanez (‘Lehrbuch der Pathologischen Chemie’) that I shall not hesitate to make a free translation of his chapter on this subject, criticising and adding where I think it necessary.