However, in the middle of January, 1915, this man began to suffer from headaches and insomnia, with vertigo and buzzing in the head, “as if an airplane inside.” Sometimes arms and legs would stiffen, and the man would tremble, have to lie down, and even lose consciousness for a quarter of an hour, waking up tired, wandering, and with feelings in his head. These crises, at first occurring every week, later grew frequent. Finally there was a very complete attack, in which he fell out of bed, got up, made several turns about the room, and went back to bed; and in the morning, was dull and disoriented. Accordingly, he was sent to the central military neuropsychiatric service of the general hospital at Montpellier, November 10.
Besides the two extensive cicatrices, there were motor disorders. Pronation and supination were almost impossible, as well as extension of the hand and fingers and abduction of the thumb. There was a radial paralysis without R. D. Electrical excitability of the extensors was diminished on the right. The hand was weak. The right thumb was atrophic. There was a hypertrichosis as well as redness, heat and perspiration of the right hand. There was a hypesthesia for all forms of stimulation in the hand, especially in the radial region; less in the ulnar region. This hypesthesia rose along the posterior surface of the forearm and covered all the territory of the ulnar nerve; but there was a corresponding hyperesthesia in the musculocutaneous distribution, as well as in the internal cutaneous distribution. Above the scar there was a region of complete anesthesia. The hyperesthesia rose higher along the circumflex nerve and the posterior branches of the cervical nerves and included the great occipital distribution, even involving the superficial cervical plexus, though not the territory of the trigemini. There was some hyperesthesia of areas governed by a few dorsal intercostal nerves. There were also spontaneous pains in these hyperalgesic regions. The _musculocutaneous nerve_ could be felt to be _thick and swollen_, indicating a perineuritis. There were no neuropathic stigmata, but the knee-jerks were exaggerated a little more on the right side.
The convulsions appeared two or three times a day, the pain would get worse along the arm, rise to the head, following the hyperesthetic zone, then invade the interior of the head, whereupon objects would appear to turn and the ears would buzz. The right leg, and especially the right arm, would begin to tremble. The man would have to support himself to avoid falling. He saw shadows moving, colored trees, occasionally persons. When the vertigo got stronger, he lost consciousness. The extremities of the right side stiffened and carried on jerky movements. These sometimes extended to the left side. The seizure lasted from five to fifteen minutes, and sometimes occurred in the middle of the night. Fatigue followed but headache disappeared after an attack.