It is doubtful if there be a special sense enabling us to recognise the form and consistency of objects independent of other sensations such as pain, pressure, weight, heat, electricity. Nevertheless, cases in which there was greater impairment of the feeling of touch than of the other modes of common sensation have been described under the title of “astereognosis.” To the consiceration of this subject, Dr. Franz Kramer has contributed a paper of thirty pages. He describes ten cases very carefully tested by himself. These are too long to reproduce, but we gather the following considerations from his observations and citations from other writers on the subject. It seems probable, that the loss of sensibility to touch is but a degree in the impairment of common sensation. Where to fix this degree is difficult owing to the complicated feelings and motions used to ascertain the outward form of objects. There are cases described in which the loss of tactile sensibility was much greater in proportion than the derangements of other qualities of common sensation. Perhaps similar inequalities of relation exist in normal persons.

The author has made a careful investigation in 41 cases of general paralysis in order to enable him to ascertain to what extent sensory changes were present. Of these cases, however, 18 were so demented that it was impossible to draw any accurate deductions from their examination. All the cases were of a fairly advanced type.

Quinquaud's sign, which is said to be idiopathic of chronic alcoholism, was the subject of a short and interesting paper by Aubry in the Archives de Neurologie (deuxième sérieto, me xi, 1901). It is elicited as follows: The physician fully extends his hand, palm upwards. The hand of the subject of the examination is held parallel to and above this, dorsum upwards. The patient is directed to flex his three middle fingers and press them perpendicularly against the physician's palm. The three fingers should be separated, the middle one slightly behind the other two; steady pressure should be made. After a moment or two there is a crackling sensation conveyed to the examiner's palm from the patient's fingers as if crepitus were present. This tactile sensation is perhaps best to be compared to the rub experienced in pleurisy or dry arthritis.

Dr. Henneberg showed to the Berlin Psychiatric Society, numerous preparations illustrating the pathology of cysticercus in the brain. In the Clinique for Nervous and Brain Diseases at the Charity, there was at least one case revealed by dissection every year. Out of ten thousand post-mortem examinations there were in this hospital about sixteen in stances in which cysticerci were found in the brain. It is generally difficult to distinguish the presence of these parasites in the brain from a tumour. A patient ót.57 had epileptic seizures of the left side which lasted for five days till his death in the status hemiepilepticus. A cysticercus about the size of a walnut was found at the foot of the first frontal gyrus.

In this communication, Dr. Moravesik observes that it can scarcely be held that all hallucinations have a peripheral origin, since there are cases of hallucinations affecting the senses in which the normal function has ceased. Here we may observe that at the meeting of psychiatric physicians at Jena (Monatsschrift fur Psychiatrie, February, 1906) Dr. Berger reported a case of hallucinations of sight after total atrophy of the optic nerves; he also cited one of hallucinations of smell, although there was atrophy of both the olfactory bulbs. Döllkenhad noted vivid hallucinations of light after atrophy of the optic nerves of four years' duration.