Case 246. (Roussy and Lhermitte, 1917.)
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Southard, Elmer Ernest
An infantryman was wounded September 23, 1914, by a bullet in the anterior and middle part of the left thigh. From the moment of the trauma, he had not been able to walk, but gradually regained his ability to stand, and then to walk. He was returned to the front (January, 1915).
Slightly wounded again in the neck, January 6, 1915, he was evacuated and operated on. After the operation he could neither walk nor stand. His reflexes were normal; he could perform all movements when lying down, although the movements were executed very slowly. As soon as he could sit upright, he was taken with tremors and could not hold himself in a vertical standing position, nor take a single step. If he was given crutches, he dragged the two legs.
Under the influence of electric treatment—a mild faradic current—he was cured at a sitting so that he could both stand and walk (March, 1916).