William Porterfield (ca. 1696-1771) and his phantom limb: an overlooked first self-report by a man of medicine.
EARLY REPORTS OF phantom limbs by Ambroise Paré and René Descartes were based on second- or third-hand descriptions provided by amputees. William Porterfield (ca. 1696-1771) was a prominent Scottish physician and was possibly the first man of medicine to write about his experiences after having a leg amputated. Porterfield was an authority on vision; he devised the first optometer and examined accommodation after cataract operations. Rather than using the phenomenon of a phantom limb to question the veracity of the senses (as Descartes had done), Porterfield integrated his phantom limb experiences into his general account of sensory function.
Wade
Nicholas J
NJ
Department of Psychology, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland.
Finger
Stanley
S
D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010591:Phantom Limb / Q000266:history*; D012606:Scotland; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000266:history