THE CEREBRAL LOCALIZATION OF LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS.
Abstract
Patients with Chagas' disease, followed in the wards or in a special outpatient clinic, after completion of a special clinical record form are being submitted to examination of language and related functions in accordance with the routine presented. This was elaborated in Portuguese to be used in Brazilian patients based on some common tests and on the author's personal experience. Out of the collected material, case records of 71 patients were considered as adequately documented. Only 15(21%) had clinical or pathologic evidence of encephalic lesion, and it was surprising to find out that in as many as 48(68%) patients abnormal results of the language tests had been obtained. Of the 56 patients who had no evidence of neurological lesion, 33(59%) committed mistakes in the tests which had to be interpreted as of pathological meaning by current standards. Patients came from the lowest level of the local population. It was found that 66% of the patients were either entirelly illiterate or barely able to laboriously read and write. Post mortem examination of patients who died confirms, although not conclusively the impression derived from the analysis of clinical cases. The present findings indicate that cultural level is of prime importance in the interpretation of language tests. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0640716
Entities
People
- Augusto Gentil Baptista
Organizations
- Federal University of Bahia