PSYCHO-ANALYTICAL OBSERVATIONS ON TIC
23
IV
Although the observations of the authors are of such value
to us, the theoretical conclusions that they deduct from them
profit us but little. For the most part their explanations are con-
fined to tracing the symptoms to certain near causes (occasions)
or to predisposition or degeneration. Where the patient can offer
no explanation for the tic, they regard it as "senseless and without
purpose". They forsake the psychological path too soon and lose
themselves in physiological speculations. At last they get so far
as to accept Brissaud's theory of "hypertrophy of the functioning
centre in the brain" (inborn or acquired by constant use), and this
they regard as the "central organ of the tic function" in tic
patients. Their therapy also is based upon "causing this hyper-
trophy to recede by a treatment of quiescence". Meige and
Feindel speak of "congenital anomaly" of "deficient and faulty
development of the cortical association paths and subcortical
anastomoses"; of "molecular teratological misconceptions, which
our anatomical knowledge unfortunately does not permit of our
recognising". Grasset ^ differentiates between the bulbar-spinal
"polygonal" and mental tics, in the proper sense of the word.
The former Meige and Feindel exclude, with right, from the series
of tics and assign it a place among the "cramps" ; "mental" tics
are those which owe their origin to conscious psychic motor force;
Grasset terms "polygonal" tics all those to which we should
ascribe unconscious psychic motives. On the basis of a cortical
mechanism constructed after the well-known Aphasia scheme, which
he calls "Cortex Polygon", he attributes all unconscious and
automatic functioning to the functioning of the Polygon. "One
dreams with the Polygon", "People in a state of abstraction act
with the Polygon", etc. Finally Meige and Feindel come to a decision
on the following definition of Tic : "It is not sufficient that a gesture is
inappropriate at the moment it occurs, on the contrary it must
be certain that at the moment of its being performed it is not
in connection with any idea to which it could owe its origin ....
If beyond this the action is characterised by too frequent repetition,
by constant lack of purpose, by violent urge, difficulty in sup-
pression, and resulting satisfaction, then "it is Tic." In one place
only they say : "We here find ourselves on the dangerous territory
• Anatomic clinique des centres nerveux, Paris 1900.
