in. The
influence of the general shock to the nervous system received by the
patients had an important bearing on these phenomena, and their interest
from a prognostic point of view was very great.

INJURIES TO SPECIAL NERVES

_Cranial nerves._--It will be convenient first to make a few remarks
concerning the nerves of special sense.

_Olfactory._--I observed temporary loss of smell on three occasions. In
two instances this accompanied transverse wounds of the bones of the
face in which the upper third of the nasal cavities was crossed; in the
third a track passing obliquely downwards from the frontal region passed
through the inner wall of the orbit, and crossed the nose at a lower
level. In view of the small area of the olfactory distribution which was
directly implicated, I was at first inclined to regard the loss of smell
as dependent on the presence of dried blood on the surface of the mucous
membrane, or on obstruction of the cavities from the same cause. Further
observation, however, appeared to show that it was due to concussion of
the branches of the olfactory nerve, since the loss of function
persisted when the cavities were manifestly clear.

In all these cases we were confronted with the same difficulty which was
experienced both in lesions of sight and hearing, the determination as
to whether the concussion was of the branches or of the olfactory bulb.
When the symptom was the accompaniment of a fracture of the roof of the
orbit, the possibility of concussion of the olfactory lobe was manifest.
In all, again, it was difficult to say what part the accompanying
concussion of the branches of the fifth nerve took in the production of
the symptom. In all three cases mentioned the return of function was
gradual, but apparently fairly complete at the end of three weeks. In
one it was noted that at first the patient was conscious of an odour
before he was able to discriminate its actual nature; later he could
determine the latter readily.

_Optic._--Some remarks concerning lesions of the optic nerve have
already been made under the heading of wounds of the orbit. Concussion
and contusion of the nerve both occurred, but I was unable to
differentiate between the effects of these on the nerve itself, apart
from the effects on the globe of the eye, which usually accompanied
wounds of the orbit.

In some cases the nerve was directly divided in orbital wounds, and
either pressure on or division of the nerve in t