Tan (aphasia patient)

From Psy3242

Tan (whose actual name is M. Leborgne) was a patient studied by well known physician Paul Broca. Tan was a patient who suffered from aphasia, the loss of the ability to speak, and hemiplegia, paralysis of one half of a person’s body. Due to the aphasia he was only able to say one word, “tan” which ultimately became his name. When Tan died, Broca did a thorough examination of Tan’s brain to figure out what exactly had caused him to loose his ability to speak. During his examination of Tan’s brain, Broca found that there was a lesion on his left temporal lobe. After doing other experiments on others Broca was able to conclude that the left temporal lobe of the brain is the area responsible for speech (Broca’s Area).