title: Five early accounts of phantom limb in context: Paré, Descartes, Lemos, Bell, and Mitchell.
abstract: PHANTOM LIMB WAS described long before American physician and surgeon Silas Weir Mitchell coined the term and drew attention to the disorder in the 1860s. The early descriptions of Ambroise Paré, René Descartes, Aaron Lemos, Charles Bell, and then Mitchell of this strange consequence of amputation are presented in historical and cultural context. These five men described phantom limbs for various reasons. They also differed when it came to explaining and dealing with these illusory sensations. The rich history of phantom limbs can begin to be appreciated by viewing the contributions of these individuals in perspective and by realizing that their writings represent only a fraction of what was published about phantom limbs more than 130 years ago.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Washington University, St Louis, Missouri 63130-4899, USA. sfinger@artsci.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Stanley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Finger
authors.forename: Meredith P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Hustwit
mesh_terms: D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D010591:Phantom Limb / Q000266:history*