Babinski's anosognosia for hemiplegia in early twentieth-century French neurology.
In 1914, Babinski first described "anosognosia"; a term he coined for a phenomenon involving unawareness of disability in hemiplegia. Historical roots of contemporary perspectives on anosognosia after stroke may be found in early discussions among French neurologists. Current notions and debate regarding the roles played by cognition, emotional factors, sensory loss and somatosensory neglect in anosognosia, and the distinctness of anosognosia as a symptom echo the theoretical dilemmas of an earlier past. Historical overview of the development of perspectives on anosognosia enriches our understanding of unawareness of disability.
Langer
Karen G
KG
NYU Langone Medical Center, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. Karen.langer@ nyumc.org
D000377:Agnosia / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history*; D001364:Awareness; D005602:France; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009462:Neurology / Q000266:history*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000266:history*