Abstract
EARLY REPORTS OF phantom limbs by Ambroise Paré and René Descartes were based on second- or third-hand descriptions provided by amputees. William Porterfield (ca. 1696-1771) was a prominent Scottish physician and was possibly the first man of medicine to write about his experiences after having a leg amputated. Porterfield was an authority on vision; he devised the first optometer and examined accommodation after cataract operations. Rather than using the phenomenon of a phantom limb to question the veracity of the senses (as Descartes had done), Porterfield integrated his phantom limb experiences into his general account of sensory function.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1196-1199 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Neurosurgery |
Volume | 52 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2003 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Amputation
- Illusions
- Phantom limb
- Sensory function
- William Porterfield
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Surgery
- Clinical Neurology