HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1942-11-19, Page 7THURSDAY, NOV .M ER 19, 1942
TUE SHS+ O1 TH NEWS
PAii, s VgN
The Phantom Limb
In World Wal` 1, 00,000 people
underwent amputations in Britain
alone, In this war, it is reasonable to
n,ssume that the number of amputa-
tions will far outstrip those of the
1914-1p18 conflict.
To the ordinary mortal the cutting
cif of a limb spells the end of that
member of the body. But it seems
that the average person is all wrong,
Recently, proof was shown that the
illusion of a "phantom limb"—the
persistence in consciousness of a
limb, .that has been removed --invar-
iably follows in the wake of amputa
tiijn, lasting from a few months to a
lifetime. What's more, not. only the,
layman, but the average medico is
ignorant of this astounding phenom-
enon.
Knowledge of the phantom limb
mint be as old as recovery from am-
putation. Lord Nelson believed that
the phantom fingers of his amputat-
ed hand provided "a direct proof of
the existence of the soul" Yet
strangely enough, medical literature
has been almost silent on the subject.
The phenomenon, no doubt, was very
mysterious to our forefathers. Any-
body who could claim the possession
of a part that was not there, and
sometimes'' even insist that this phan-
tom limb was he seat of excruciating
pain must be possessed of the devil
The story smacked too much of the
supernatural, and at best, the unfor-
tunate fellow was regarded as an
obstinate liar, Mere often, however,
1i was branded as the very devil
himself, to be persecuted and shun-
ned,
The patient must often have
doubted the reality of his own sen-
sations; even today, the person suf-
fering amputation will rarely discuss
his phantom unless it is painful.
"I know full well," declares one
patient, "that I have no right leg,
and yet, when I analyze my feelings
1 -am more aware of the missing foot
than of the one that's Left, The one
always hurts while the other doesn't
trouble me. If I couldn't assure my-
self with my own eyes that the pain-
ful foot has been cut off, I would
swear that it was still there. I have
tpuse my reason constantly to con-
'vinee myself."
In several instances, phantom
limbs have been the, cause of serious
accidents. A horseman, whose left
hand had been amputated, imagining
that ho was holding the bridle with
his phantom hand, struek the animal
with the other. He was thrown from
the horse and sustained serious in-
juries. It is only whenthe sufferer
exercises rigid self-control that he
can resist these illusions.
As a rule the painless phantom
limb disappears after a few months.
Gradually it seems to grow shorter
and shorter until it finally recedes
into the stump and fades away.
However the amputated man's
chances of acquiring a painless phan-
tom are only 50-50.
A specialist points out that the
story of the phantom limb illustrates
the individual's difficulty in accept-
ing a shortened limb; it also reveals
the natural tendency of man to
lengthen- his limbs with the aid of
man-made tools. When, for example,
he is wearing his artificial limb, he
feels with his foot and can distin-
guish between irregularities on the
ground. There is no essential differ-
ence between this achievement and
that of the surgeon who projects his
fingers to the send of his probe, or
that of the toothless man who blends
with his artificial teeth. In the same
way the trained motorist identifies
himself with his car, the airman with
his machine and the angler with his
sly at the end of a, long line. It has
been maintained that the capacity to
employ tools in this way is one of the
main characteristics distinguishing
man from animal. This aptitude var-
ies in different individuals for reas-
ons of training or adaptability.
I A l g I f' f �i L DISASLED
Quickly removed in clean sanitary trucks. Phone -collect
219 MITCHELL or Ingersoll 21
WILLIAM STONE SONS LIMITED
The World's News Seen Through
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
An International Daily Newspaper
is Truthful—Constructive—Unbiased—Free from Sensational.
ism—Editorials . Are Timely and Instructive and Its Daily
Features, Together with the Weekly Magazine Section, Make
the Monitor an Ideal Newspaper for the Home.
The Christian Science Publishing Society
One, Norway Street, Boston, Massachusetts
Price $12.00 Yearly, or $1.00 a Month.
Saturday Issue, including Magazine Section, $2.60 a Year.
Introductory Offer, 6 Saturday Issues 25 Cents.
Name
Address
SAMPLE COPY ON REQUEST
WILL REPLACE GASOLINE BURNERS AT ARMY CAMP
This may be a mechanized war but fear of gas and tire shortages have decided Ariny authorities to experiment with horse drawn
vehicles for general duty around camps. Here are pictures of the first horses purchased in this war by Munitions and Supply Department
for the Army. They are now in service at Petawawa Military Camp and were purchased from Gilbert E. Arnold, Grenville, Que., one of
largest dealers in horses in Canada. All are grade draft bred in Ontario and Quebec.
Top picture shows the first group of 10 to go into service, posed with members of the purchasing board and the former wrier: left
to right, Dr. A. C. Burt, Simcoe, Dominion Veterinary inspector; Sgt. Major.T. Rodger, 4th P.L.D.G., a former cavalry unit; Gilbert Arnold,
Arnoldwold Farms, Grenville, Que.; L. K. Crabb, who represented the Department of Munitions and Supply on the purchasing board;
Capt. Graham Maybury, 4th P.L.D.G., military representative on the purchasing board and web known Ottawa horseman.
Centre — a fine team of Percheron grades said to be .the best in the group with Mr. Arnold and others of the purchasing board.
CANADIAN,EDITORS VISIT CANADIAN ARMY
Visiting editors at a tank brigade demonstration rode about in these "blitz buggies" and marvelled at the way
they could negotiate any kind of rough terrain. These were part of a party of Canadian editors who recently visited
Great Britain at the invitation of the Canadian Government.
Tunisia And The
Mediterranean Front
Between Cape Bon, in Tunisia, and
the island of Sicily, lies the narrow-
est stretch of the 94editerranean.
Largely because of this, the advent
of foreign military forces is nothing
'new in the history of Tunisia. The
Berbers, inhabitants of the country
since remote antiquity, have seen
successive waves of invasion, and in
some eases colonization, by Carthag-
inians, Romans, Arabs acid Turks. In.
1881 the, French established a pro-
tectorate by force of arms, Tunisia's
900 miles of coastline and the har-
bors of Tunis, Bizerta, Susa and Sfax
have long been recognized as highly
important to control of the M.editer-'
ranean.
Tunisia consists of a relatively nar-
row strip of country between Algeria
and Libya. The total area is some.
thing under 49,000 square miles, in-
habited by. a population of 2% million.
Some 92% of the population is made
trli of Moslems and native Jewel. Of
the remaining 8%, about half were
khrench, and the rest were Italians
and other Europeans. Of the Italian
portion of the population, it was est-
imated before the war that less than
one-quarter were pro -Fascist, despite
powerful propaganda efforts on the
part of Italy, The Fascist element
was said to be confined almost ent-
irely to the relatively small numbers
of Italian business and professional'
men, whereas among the small peas-
ants and laborers, there was said to
exist a fairly strong anti Fa.scit
element.
Agricultural products form the
chief soiu'ce of revenue for Tunisia;,
1Vheat,and grain, fresh fruits, olives
and olive oil are most important.
Minerals also play an important
part in Tunisia's economy. Natural
phosphates, iron, lead and zlnc ores
are produced in very considerable
quantities.
Manufacturing on any scale is vir-
tually unknown in the country, so
that manufactured goods form a large
part of Tunisia's purchases. Strange-
ly enough for a predominantly agricul-
tural country, foodstuffs are also im-
ported in fairly Large quantities, a
fact attributed to the restricted range,
of Tunisian: agricultural produce.
/togged individualism is still with
us, otherwise hew could a ntan stand
others walking all over his feet in a
crowded bus,
Send us the names of your visitors
•
•
Duplicate
Monthly.
(vyY t t e m e lY ...
We can save you money on Bill ano
Charge gonna, standard sizes to et
Ledgers, white or colors,, -
It will pay you to see our samples.
Also best quality Metal Hinged Sec-
tional Post Binders and index
The Seafo.rth News
' PHONE 84
WILL REPLACE GASOLINE BURNERS AT ARMY CAMP
This may be a mechanized war but fear of gas and tire shortages have decided Ariny authorities to experiment with horse drawn
vehicles for general duty around camps. Here are pictures of the first horses purchased in this war by Munitions and Supply Department
for the Army. They are now in service at Petawawa Military Camp and were purchased from Gilbert E. Arnold, Grenville, Que., one of
largest dealers in horses in Canada. All are grade draft bred in Ontario and Quebec.
Top picture shows the first group of 10 to go into service, posed with members of the purchasing board and the former wrier: left
to right, Dr. A. C. Burt, Simcoe, Dominion Veterinary inspector; Sgt. Major.T. Rodger, 4th P.L.D.G., a former cavalry unit; Gilbert Arnold,
Arnoldwold Farms, Grenville, Que.; L. K. Crabb, who represented the Department of Munitions and Supply on the purchasing board;
Capt. Graham Maybury, 4th P.L.D.G., military representative on the purchasing board and web known Ottawa horseman.
Centre — a fine team of Percheron grades said to be .the best in the group with Mr. Arnold and others of the purchasing board.
CANADIAN,EDITORS VISIT CANADIAN ARMY
Visiting editors at a tank brigade demonstration rode about in these "blitz buggies" and marvelled at the way
they could negotiate any kind of rough terrain. These were part of a party of Canadian editors who recently visited
Great Britain at the invitation of the Canadian Government.
Tunisia And The
Mediterranean Front
Between Cape Bon, in Tunisia, and
the island of Sicily, lies the narrow-
est stretch of the 94editerranean.
Largely because of this, the advent
of foreign military forces is nothing
'new in the history of Tunisia. The
Berbers, inhabitants of the country
since remote antiquity, have seen
successive waves of invasion, and in
some eases colonization, by Carthag-
inians, Romans, Arabs acid Turks. In.
1881 the, French established a pro-
tectorate by force of arms, Tunisia's
900 miles of coastline and the har-
bors of Tunis, Bizerta, Susa and Sfax
have long been recognized as highly
important to control of the M.editer-'
ranean.
Tunisia consists of a relatively nar-
row strip of country between Algeria
and Libya. The total area is some.
thing under 49,000 square miles, in-
habited by. a population of 2% million.
Some 92% of the population is made
trli of Moslems and native Jewel. Of
the remaining 8%, about half were
khrench, and the rest were Italians
and other Europeans. Of the Italian
portion of the population, it was est-
imated before the war that less than
one-quarter were pro -Fascist, despite
powerful propaganda efforts on the
part of Italy, The Fascist element
was said to be confined almost ent-
irely to the relatively small numbers
of Italian business and professional'
men, whereas among the small peas-
ants and laborers, there was said to
exist a fairly strong anti Fa.scit
element.
Agricultural products form the
chief soiu'ce of revenue for Tunisia;,
1Vheat,and grain, fresh fruits, olives
and olive oil are most important.
Minerals also play an important
part in Tunisia's economy. Natural
phosphates, iron, lead and zlnc ores
are produced in very considerable
quantities.
Manufacturing on any scale is vir-
tually unknown in the country, so
that manufactured goods form a large
part of Tunisia's purchases. Strange-
ly enough for a predominantly agricul-
tural country, foodstuffs are also im-
ported in fairly Large quantities, a
fact attributed to the restricted range,
of Tunisian: agricultural produce.
/togged individualism is still with
us, otherwise hew could a ntan stand
others walking all over his feet in a
crowded bus,
Send us the names of your visitors