zaman_2756{at}yahoo.com (Sal) wrote in news:brq6rj$1eca$1{at}darwin.ediacara.org:

> Humans can be born with many physical deformities-blindness,very low
> intelligence,short height etc etc. What i want to know if any humans
> have ever been recorded by medical science as been born:
>           1)without any emotion at all, i mean, they couldn't get
> angry,sexually aroused,hungry for food,compassionate? by this i don't
> necessarily mean the part of the brain responsible for emotion,the
> amygdala,is not formed in the embryo,but that even with a
> physiologically correct brain the person is unemotional? ( maybe due
> to absence of appropriate neurotansmitters)
>          2)alternatively, are there any cases in medical science of
> ppl being born lacking the ability to form just one emotion? for
> example, a person without the abilty to get angry?
> I'm familiar with serial killers and their sociopathic lack of
> compassion, but even these ppl, are able to experience some
> compassion, and more importantly have their other emotions intact.
> I realise this is a unusual question, but i have searched Google for
> an answer,but couldn't do find one, even though normally i am able to
> use the correct keywords in searches. Thank you very much anyone who
> has the time to answer my question.
> 

The closest I have come is a discussion in chapter four of "Mapping the 
Mind", by Rita Carter, of the case of Elliott, who lost his capacity to 
feel emotion after the removal of a brain tumour. The book discusses other 
cases with various emotional deficits, but for the most part these have 
been caused by damage to the brain rather than being born with the problem. 

Yours,

Bill Morse
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