A human experiment in nerve division

From the history of pretty crazy self experimentation in medicine, a doctor has a cutaneous branch of his own radial nerve surgically cut. He then meticulously documents the progress of nerve regrowth, initial total numbness followed by neuropathic pain, and a partial return of sensation over time

https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/132/11/2903/330994?login=falseOpen link View original on mander.xyz

Comments2

Alacran

mander.xyz

This is already pretty wild, before I even got to this part:

By way of control, the authors turn to the work of Professor von Frey and Dr Rivers studies the characteristics of sensation on Dr Head's glans penis.

Neuron reply

mander.xyz

Turn of the century medicine was wild, you just can't make this stuff up. Also interesting how they were grappling with problems we're still trying to understand better today, like CNS sensitization to pain.