William James on Phantom Limbs

Abstract

IN 1887 William James reported to the American Society for Psychial Research his study of 185 persons after amputations, his interest in this subject being no doubt stimulated by the fact that his father had had a midthigh amputation. It may seem strange today that a professor of philosophy should probe into so unphilosophical a matter as phantom pain, but it is pertinent to recall that James was an assistant professor of physiology before he began his pursuit of philosophy. James, in this report, noted that three fourths of the persons studied had sensations referred to the lost part, some . . .