Injuries of nerves and their consequences - Reflex Sympathetic ...

178 INJURIES OF NERVES.
those which obtain in clinical cases of nerve section.
if, however, still further to complicate this difficult question,
I find, on studj'ing with care the thermal results of
Waller's observations on the influence of pressure upon
nerves, that no matter how complete may be the palsy
induced by this mechanical cause, it is followed only by
a fall of temperature in the affected region, and never
by a rise. This seems to be corroborated by clinical experience,
since in two instances of arm palsy from sleeping
on the member, both seen by me within twelve hours of
the date of injury, there was in one ease a fall of one degree,
and in the other of 2^° F. There appears to be,
therefore, some essential difierence, as yet inexplicable,
between the thermal results obtained by freezing and by
pressure,
I may add, that I have recently repeated Waller's ex-
and with results in no
periments upon my own person,
wise different from his.
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