THE PERCEPTUAL BASIS OF SOMATIC DELUSIONS IN A CASE OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Complaints of particular disturbances, referred by patients to the tactile, kinesthetic and cenesthetic spheres, are common in cases of schizophrenia and represent an important component of the schizophrenic symptomatology. As regards the nature of such phenomena, various opinions are current. Many writers regard them as delusions ("somatic delusions"), that is, ideational productions; others classify them with hallucinations, and some regard them as peripherally aroused sensory experiences with or without delusional elaboration. Probably all these types actually occur in schizophrenic patients; only a careful analysis can determine the true nature of the phenomena in question. A case is presented in which the mechanism of delusion formation seems to have been elucidated. A white man, aged 30, who was admitted to the Worcester State Hospital about six years ago, is said to have been a slow, dreamy and sensitive boy. He finished high school and spent a year in a trade school