Charles Bell Research Articles

Bell's law

Charles Bell was born in Edinburgh in 1774 and died in 1842 at Hallow’ near Worcester, where he was buried. Both parents were connected with the episcopal Church of Scotland. Two of his brothers distinguished themselves—-John as an anatomist and surgeon and George as an authority on Scots law. Charles studied medicine at Edinburgh University, without however taking a degree, but qualified as a Fellow of the Edinburgh College of Surgeons in 1799, having already as a student developed a strong interest in anatomy, which continued throughout his life. He was an attractive and imaginative artist, qualities which are particularly in evidence in his Essays on the anatomy of expression (1806) and his Bridgewater Treatise on The hand (1833), of which Sherrington used to speak with admiration.

A Ninth Century Inscription from Rkoṅ-po

During my stay in Tibet from 1946 to 1950 I undertook to edit the late Sir Charles Bell's material on the inscriptions at Lhasa and Bsam Yas. This work led me to try to trace as many ancient Tibetan inscriptions as possible, and my inquiries took me to the rdo riṇs at Mtshur Phu, Saṅs Rgyas Dgon-pa, Hphyoṅ Rgyas, and Žva-ẖi Lha Khan, as well as to many likely but unproductive sites such as ẖu Žaṅ and Lha-Khaṅ Rdzoṅ. I also heard vague rumours of an old inscription somewhere near Rtse Bla Sgaṅ, on the Gtsan-po (Brahmaputra). As it would have needed more than six weeks' absence from my duties at Lhasa, I was not able to visit the place myself but I eventually enlisted the help of the young but very learned Bkaẖ Rgyud-pa Lama, Bdud ẖjoms Rinpoche, whose monastery is in that area and who was engaged on building a new lha-khan at an ancient site called Zans Mdog Dpal Ri. He had seen the inscription which, he said, was carved on a pillar or rock face beside the track along the north bank of the Gtsan-po, in an area known as De-Mo Sa. It was said to be sheltered by shallow stone walls supporting tiled eaves and to be almost completely buried in sand. The few lines which were visible were reported to refer to Khri Sroṅ Lde Brtsan and to contain the words “Kon Jo”, from which local tradition assumed that it referred to the Chinese princess who was (incorrectly) said to be the mother of Khri Sroṅ Lde Brtsan.

Sir Charles Bell's Idea of a New Anatomy of the Brain.

Notes and Queries: Sir Charles Bell's IDEA OF A NEW ANATOMY OF THE BRAIN ERIC OSBORNE ERIC OSBORNE Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Volume VIII, Issue April, April 1953, Pages 215–217, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/VIII.April.215 Published: 01 April 1953

Surgical considerations in diverticula of the esophagus.

Diverticula of the esophagus are encountered with increasing frequency in recent years primarily because of the increased employment of roentgenologic studies of the gastrointestinal tract as part of a more thorough examination of patients. In some instances the diverticulum is symptomatically silent; in others, it may be the cause of mild symptoms unrelated to those for which the patient has sought medical care. In a certain number, however, the diverticulum is incriminable as the direct cause of the patient's malady. The earliest reference to either pharyngeal or esophageal diverticulum was in a letter written by Ludlow of Bristol (England) to William Hunter in 1764. 1 The specimen about which the letter was written is still preserved in the Hunterian museum at Glasgow (Scotland). In 1816 Sir Charles Bell described in his volume of surgical observations a praeternatural bag formed by the membrane of the pharynx. 2 The first systematic study

A Bibliography of Infantile Paralysis 1789-1949, with Selected Abstracts and Annotations

Beginning with Underwood's clinical description of infantile paralysis in 1789, this book records the growth of our knowledge of the disease in all its aspects—clinical, pathologic, epidemiologic, microbic and therapeutic—year by year to the end of 1944. It would be a mistake, however, to infer from this statement that infantile paralysis did not exist before Underwood's time, as references are listed to writings dealing with evidence that cases occurred even away back in ancient times. One interesting omission deserves mention, namely the description by Charles Bell in 1836 of an epidemic fever with paralysis in children on the island of St. Helena. This appears to be the earliest outbreak of infantile paralysis as now known. The use of the bibliography is facilitated by a comprehensive subject index of the articles and other writings by number. Extensive use of the book confirms the statement in the preface that this arrangement is

RUPTURE OF THE INTERVERTEBRAL DISK

An account of rupture of the intervertebral disk as an important clinical entity must include not only an evaluation of the pertinent literature, but also the experience of my contemporaries and myself. There is little in the older literature that has not already been noted, and my function, as I see it, is to use the facts contained in it as a background for the important work leading up to present knowledge of the subject. If I have omitted any important contributions to the subject, I trust that such omissions will be drawn to my attention in order that such an error may be corrected in any future publication. In an interesting old book by Charles Bell,1written in 1824, is an illustration which perhaps is one of the earliest drawings of a rupture of the intervertebral disk, though this, like so many other later references, is concealed under

A STUDY OF ARSINE POISONING

1. In experiments in which the arsenic in the carcases of miceexposed to arsine was determined, the percentage of the gas inhaled which was absorbed appeared to be approximately the same (64 percent.) over a hundredfold range in gas concentration.2. The median lethal dose of arsine for mice, in terms of the gas absorbed, increased with decreasing concentration inhaled, suggesting that arsine is rapidly detoxicated in the body. At the highest concentration studied, the median lethal dose was 0–67 mg. AsH3/kg.3. The ventilation rate in mice appeared to be different in exposures to arsine of different durations. From this, peculiarities in the median lethal exposure curve may be explained.4. The arsenic in tissues from rabbits killed immediately after short exposures to arsine was determined. Although the tissues were freed from blood before hæmolysis commenced, some organs, in particular the liver, contained considerable amounts of arsenic. It is suggested that this arsenic reached the tissues as arsine, unchanged by reaction with the erythrocytes.5. Intraperitoneal injection of 17 mg./kg. of ethane‐1:2‐dithiol doubled the duration of the exposure to 0·50 mg. AsH3 per litre required for 50 per cent. mortality in mice. The median lethal dose of the dithiol alone was about 55 mg./kg. It was effective several hours after exposure to arsine.6. Factors in gas chamber design of importance in carrying out toxicity determinations were studied, and a new type of chamber which permitted accurately controlled exposures of short duration was constructed.7. It is concluded that the high toxicity of arsine in the higher concentration range may in part be due to the action on vital organs of unchanged gas, reaching them in physical solution in the blood plasma.The author wishes to express his thanks to the late Professor A. J. Clark and to Professor G. F. Marrian for encouragement in carrying out this work, to Professor J. H. Gaddum for suggestions regarding the interpretation of certain of the results, to the late George Abbot and to Charles Bell for technical assistance, and to N. E. Condon for the construction of gas chambers. Permission from the Director General of Scientific Research (Defence), Ministry of Supply, to publish these results is gratefully acknowledged.

Obituaries

WE regret to announce the following deaths: Sir Charles Bell, K.C.I.E., C.M.G., an authority on Tibet, aged seventy-four.

INTEGRATED FACIAL PATTERNS ELICITED BY STIMULATION OF THE BRAIN STEM

Integration of action of muscles innervated by seventh cranial nerve has been of interest to neurophysiologists since beginning of nineteenth century. Sir Charles Bell 1 described the marvelous combination of parts by which we have breathing, voice, speech, expression, smelling, coughing, sneezing and vomiting. Various levels and centers of nervous system have been postulated for selection of facial movements and their correlation with other somatic and automic components of purposeful acts. Sherrington 2 obtained contralateral contractions of facial muscles from cortical stimulation in chimpanzee and gorilla which were interpreted as entering into mimetic expression. From another portion of cortical face area, contralateral movements of lips suggesting feeding (chewing, deglutition) were elicited. Magoun, Ranson and Fisher 3 traced a pathway for rhythmic movements of mouth and for tongue lapping from cortex to pons in cat. Ectors, Brookens

PARALYSIS OF THE SERRATUS MAGNUS MUSCLE

Unusual winging of the scapula is a deformity which is fairly well recognized as secondary in some instances to paralysis of the serratus magnus muscle. Description of this syndrome was first made by Velpeau¹in 1825. Sir Charles Bell²in 1827 described the nerve supply of the serratus magnus muscle. The condition has been described by various writers since the time of Velpeau and Bell, notably by Marchessaux³in 1840 and by Duchenne¹in 1867. Several methods of treatment have been suggested from time to time and several operative procedures have been offered. In order to estimate the relative incidence of this condition and to aid in our ability to prognosticate the end result in an instance of the disease newly seen, this study was undertaken. The function of the serratus magnus muscle is mainly to aid in fixing the scapula to the thorax when the

The “Sage and serious” Spenser

Journal Article The “Sage and serious” Spenser Get access Charles Bell Burke Charles Bell Burke 1The University of Tennessee Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume 175, Issue 26, 24 December 1938, Pages 457–458, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/175.26.457 Published: 24 December 1938

Lawrence Memorial Medal

THE Lawrence Memorial Medal of the Royal Central Asian Society has been awarded to Sir Charles Bell, the great authority on things Tibetan, whose friendship with the late Dalai Lama was an outstanding event in British relations with Tibet, and who has an intimate and authoritative knowledge of events in Tibet and Mongolia, on wjiich he has written valuable books. This is the second award of this medal, the first having been made to Major J. B. Glubb, in recognition of his work in administering the nomad territory of Northern Arabia, which lies within the frontiers of Trans-Jordania, and the success he has had in promoting friendly relations between the tribes of that region. The Lawrence Memorial Medal was founded by the Society in memory of T. E. Lawrence, under the then president, the late Lord Alien by. It exists- to recognize work of outstanding distinction in travel, research or letters, when such work contributes to the study and the solution of the problems of Asia, made by officials, travellers, students or others who are working in the area covered by the activities of the Royal Central Asian Society.

The Charles MacKay Lecture: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF SIR CHARLES BELL. L. Cowlishaw, M.B., Ch.M. (Sydney), Sydney.

Medical Journal of AustraliaVolume 2, Issue 22 p. 737-747 Original Article The Charles MacKay Lecture1: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF SIR CHARLES BELL. L. Cowlishaw, M.B., Ch.M. (Sydney), Sydney. First published: 01 November 1936 https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1936.tb106765.xCitations: 1 1 Delivered at the Australian Institute of Anatomy, Canberra, on October 6, 1936. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume2, Issue22November 1936Pages 737-747 RelatedInformation

Science News a Century Ago

Sir Charles Bell on the Brain

Anniversary Meeting of the Royal Society

IN connexion with the anniversary meeting of the Royal Society which will be held on November 30, when the medals for the year will be awarded (NATURE, November 11, p. 740), it is interesting to note that in the allotments of one hundred years ago, November 30, 1833, the Copley medal was not awarded. The Royal medals bore, for the first time, on the obverse, the effigy of King William IV, his Majesty having confirmed and continued the royal grants of George IV, his predecessor. At this anniversary meeting, however, the ten Royal medals adjudged during the lifetime of George IV were available for distribution to the original recipients, or their representatives, who were able to attend, this curious anomaly being due to the circumstance that the dies had never been completed, for reasons beyond the control of the Royal Mint. The names of the selected men of science in the different periods were: Dalton and Ivory (1826); Davy and Struve (1827); Encke and Wollaston (1828); Charles Bell and Mitscherlich (1829); Brewster and A. J. Balard (1830). Royal medals were not given in 1831 or 1832. The recipients of the Royal medals for 1833 were (1) Prof. A. de Candolle, of Geneva, for his valuable researches and investigations in vegetable physiology, as detailed in his work “Physiologic Vegetale”, and (2) Sir John F. W. Herschel for his paper “On the Investigation of the Orbits of Revolving Double Stars”, published in the Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society. Herschel was at the time at the Cape of Good Hope. The foregoing medals were presented by the president, H.R.H. the Duke of Sussex.

The Travels of Ippolito Desideri

Sir Charles Bell has given in this Journal (July, p. 710) a detailed account of this important book on Tibet, which, though already edited in Italian by Puini, has remained for many years insufficiently known. It is not, therefore, my purpose to write a new review of the book.

Speech and Personality Ratings

WITHIN the last decade various schedules have been devised for the measurement of personality. Many of these have been short-lived, because they were loosely-organized, indefinite, vague or intangible. The whole subject of personality study is still more or less unsatisfactory from the standpoint of objective analysis, because the rater must rely upon subjective responses by the person rated, rather than upon his own exclusive analysis, or satisfactory objective methods. The Greek philosophers, centuries ago, began the fascinating study of personality. While their attempts to classify people on the basis of types is chiefly important historically, it shows an early interest in the subject of temperament. They grouped personalities under the four heads: (1) Choleric, (2) Melancholic, (3) Sanguine, (4) Phlegmatic. In modern times the phrenologist claimed to be able to read by studying cranial prominences, without reference to the gray matter within the cranium! Each of us is daily concerned with personality study. Consciously or unconsciously, we are always observing temperamental traits, differences in the character and personality of our associates, our friends, members of our family and casual acquaintances or strangers. It helps us to determine how we shall react, ourselves. A useful application of the measurement of personality may be made to the field of speech. The psychology of speech and personality has much to offer the dramatic director, the stage producer, the teacher of expression and English, whether in college, high school, little theatre or speech clinic. An objective basis had been laid by the many studies of the emotions, since Darwin's Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals appeared. Sir Charles Bell was the first physician to publish the results of his observations on the Anatomy of Expression, in his book by that title, a contribution which gave the physiology of expression a scientific start.

The People of Tibet. By SirCharles Bell, K.C.I.E., C.M.G. pp. xix + 319, illustrations and 3 maps. Oxford University Press. London: Milford. 1928. 21s. net.

The People of Tibet. By SirCharles Bell, K.C.I.E., C.M.G. pp. xix + 319, illustrations and 3 maps. Oxford University Press. London: Milford. 1928. 21s. net.

The People of Tibet by Charles Bell

The People of Tibet by Charles Bell

Tibet, Past and Present.

Tibet, Past and Present Get access Tibet, Past and Present. By Charles Bell, K.C.I.E., C.M.G. 1927. ( Oxford University Press. London : Humphrey Milford. 8vo. xii + 326 pp. 10s.) Journal of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Volume 7, Issue 1, January 1928, Pages 61–62, https://doi.org/10.2307/3014875 Published: 01 January 1928