Chapter 1: Trauma in the trenches
Near the Belgian border in October 1914, an artillery shell exploded close to R., a thirty-six-year-old French infantryman, throwing him a distance. He was quickly taken to a medical station, where his condition was evaluated. Blood was seen coming from his mouth, and he was unable to speak. Nevertheless, he somehow indicated that he felt weakness on his right side. R. was transported to a hospital behind the lines, where he stayed for three weeks. Doctors there diagnosed him with right hemiplegia (paralysis of his right side), contracture (a tightening or shortening of a muscle), and mutism (the inability to speak). R. was subsequently transferred to another hospital, where he was given electrical stimulation to try to revive his right side. Gradually, he recovered the use of his right arm, but his leg continued to exhibit contracture and anesthesia (loss of sensation). The leg problems and mutism were subsequently deemed “functional”; that is, the disturbances seemed to disrupt functioning, but no organic injuries could be found.
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