New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-11-16
I,tMUTABILlTY OF THOUGHT.

| a case occurred in a town in Germany, q year
| or TWO before my arrival 81 Gottngen, and had
| not then ceased TO be subject OF conversation.
young woman of four or five-and-twenty, who
could neither read nor write, was SEIZED with a
nervous fever; during Which, according to the
assegerations Of all the Priests and Monks OF the
neighborhood. she became possessed, and, as Ii
appeared, by very learned devil. She continued
necessarily talking Latin, Greek and Hebrew,
in yery pompous tones, and with most distinct
enunciation The case had attracted the particl!-
lar attention of young physician and, by his
statement, mani eminent Psychologists and Psy-
biologists visited the town, and cross-exam!ned
this singular case on the spot Sheets full of her
rawlings uere taken down from her own mouth,
and we're found 10 consist of sentences coherent
and ineligible, each for ITSELF but with little OF
no connection with each other. Oh the Hebrew,
q small proportion only could be traced TO the
Bible; the remainder seemed TO be RaLbinical
dialect. All trick conspiracy was ont of the
question NOT only had the young woman ever
been harmless, simple creature, but she was evi-
IDENTIFY laboring under Il nervous fever. In the
town in which she had been residing for many
wears, az u servant in different families, no solu-
ton presented itself. The young physician, how
ever, determined to trace her past life step by Step
for the patient herself was incapable of returning
rational answer He at length succeeded in dis
covering the place where her parents had lived /;
travelled thither found them dead, but an uncle
surviving and from him learned that the patient
had been charitabiy taken by old Protestant
Pastor at nine years old, and had remained with
him some years, even till the old mans death.
Of this Pastor the uncle knew nothing, but that
he was very good man. With great difficulty,
,t,or NH
Iosopher discovered niece Of the Pastors, who
had lived with him as housekeeper, and had in
herted bis effects. She remembered the girl !;
related that her venerable uncle had been too in.
dugcnt, and could not bear to have the girl
scoded; that she willing to have kept her.
but that after her patrons death, the girl herself
refused to stay. Anxious inquiries were then, Of
course, made concerning the Pastors habits, and
the solution of the phenomenon was soon obtained;
FOR it appeared that it had been the old mans GUS
tom for years, to walk up and down passage of
his house, into which the kitchen door opened,
and read TO himself with loud voice, out Of his
favorite books. A considerable number of these
were still in the niece's possession. She added
that he was learned man. and great Hebraist.
Among the books were found a collection OF
Rabbinical writings, together with several of the
Greek and Latin Fathers; and the physician sue
ceeded in identifying so many passages with those
taken down at the youug woman's bedside, that no
doubt could remain in any rational mind, concern
lag the true origin of the impressions made on her
nervous system.
This authentic case furnishes both proof and
instance that relics Of sensation may exist for
indefinite time, in latent state in the very same
order in which they were originally impressed;
and, as We cannot nationally suppose the fever;s!
state OF the brain to act in any other way than as
stimulus this fact, (and it would not be difficult
10 aaduce several of the kisd ) contributes to
make it even probable that all thoughts are, in
themselves imperishable; and that if the inteili-
rent faculty should be rendered more compre-
hensve, it would require only different and aP-
portioned organization, the body celestial instead
of the body terrestrial, to bring before every hui
man soul the collective experience of its whole
past existence And thi--this perchance. ia the
dread book O; judgement, in whose mysterious
hierogyphics every idle word is recorded Yea,
in The very nature of living spirit, it gay be
more possible that Heaven and Earth should pass
away, than that a single act or single thought
should be lost Coerldge