The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-09-14
Some Facts Concerning Memory.

The indestructibility of mental pho
nomena is remarkably exhibited by the !. !,
of persons rescued from +,
hanging or drowning, or who We're suf- I'll
fering from the delirium Of disease, or c
from injury to the brain. 1t is related 4
that lady, who became delirious three +
hours before her death, was able to b
carry on an extended conversation IN n
German-a language she had not spo-
ken since her tenth year. Five years G
before, while visiting Germany, she /
had been unable to converse at all IN c
her native tongue, although frequently
urged to do so.
Here the memory of German must I
have existed during her whole life, but {
was only manifested under the stlmu-
lus of that great mental exaltation OF
delirium. DR.. Rush mentions a lady
whose proxysms Of insanity were indl-
Gated by her conversing in Italian,
which She afterwards discarded for
French. and finally shifted to German
speaking them all fiuently. Yet,
when we'll, she spoke nothing but Eng
lish. although she had once known
something of these other languages
The Countess de Laval, during an ill
, ness, was observed by some servants
to talk in her sleep in q language which
2 none of them could comprehend. up
: on waking, she herself knew nothing
of the meaning of the words when they
: we're repeated to her. Shortly after,
S she had a nurse from the province OF
h Brittany, who recognized what she said
t. to be in the language of that country,
where the countess had been born ana
is nursed in family in which that lan-
r puage alone was spoken, SO that she
!, knew no other; but, when she return
ed to her parents, she had no opportu-
L. nifty of keeping up the use OF 1t, ana
s. had, seemingly, forgotten it.
IN All are familiar with the oft quoted
re incident related by Coleridge, when an
ignorant domestic, during the delirium
IN Of fever, repeated passages from Greek
r. Latin and Hebrew authors, which had
er been read years before in her hearing
in Inv a learned German pastor in whoet
no family she lived, and of which she re-
re collected nothing when she was well.
ial A clergyman of good mind and ex
"a cellent education, we are told, eva
to thrown from his carriage and recelve'
he a violent conclusion of the brain. Fo
lat several DAYS he remained utterly un
at conscious, and at length, when restores
or To health. his intellect was observed
md he in a state like that ola naturally In
be. tellipent child, or like that of Caspa
lb- Hauser after his long representation
md The good man again, but now IN mic
ia die life, commenced his English an
ro- classical studies under tutors, and We
an progressing very satisfactorily, whe
inst after several months successful stud,
ex- the rich storehouses of memory grad!
her ally unlocked, so that in few Weel
and his mind resumed all its wonted .vlg
ssia and its former wealth and polsn
She culture. For several years ne contl
end ued his labors as a pastor ana suHef
no symptom of cerebral disturbance
ssia, Here, manifestly, memory retalheu !.
tary knowledge he had once acquired '
ect- in some mysterious manner IL was
alter out of the reach of the mind, unui
rev. had partly reacquired it ny study
IS of Without doubt, the principle OF the
dds: sociatiau of ideas enabled him TO
ence call his previous knowledge from tn
. Sc small beginnings.
lded The Rev. DR.. Muhlenberg, VINO
tended the dying beds of many, u
q of man immigrants, noticed that, snol
wing before death, they prayed in their
, de- tive language, no matter now fal
Leg they spoke it in common life, IN a 81
itude of health. A physician, who had
4 Re- early life renowned the principles
the Roman Catholic Church, during
gives attack of delirium which preceded
are death, prayed only in the forms OF
vern- Romish Church, while all recoiiec
ice. of the prescribed formuise OF tue Z
pears ectant seemed wanting. In tlilS =
city, the memory was acting in spite OF
rrinOr reason and will, reproducing SC
onard which the mind desired to forget.
Another gentleman became uh
pres scious from being thrown from m,
,es of horse and striking on his head. w
that of after the lapse Of a week, he was
3 who stored enough to articulate, ne 3
such only German, language ne hao
Unions quired In early life, bushad notsp
tanned. in twenty five years.
Inns of Many similar examples might DC
smem- en- of the imperishable nature OF
tai impressions, notwithstanding
is dis may lie dormant and OUTSIDE tne
ed to a main of consciousness for long ye:
Like the sleeping princess OF Gri
arriv- wonderful tale, they may seem u.
nanny out from GDo soul Wy ihPoA.S,
riers; but let the right word be sP
voking and they awake and come forth "a
il Octo- with youthful beauty. :,
;he Ma If, then, theoretically, we
nothing, how does it happen that
is pub tically we fail to remember v
y augu- of things. We forget our little
es from and less Greek, our calculus al
titution tronomy. We are not sure ofth
md civ of our next-door neighbor, althou
may have heard it hundred
serena nor of the spelling of many a wol
part of of the distance between our cart
o great the sun, nor of the number OF t
INKS you teroids, not including the latest
new Re- cred. And yet we not only ha'
ion, to these facts brought to our know
srence, but have impressed many. OF til
our minds by diligent study ane
United stalking effort. This failure tc
,erest in lect is due to the fact that we ca
ngurated er call up all idea by simply 'c..
its sue for it is a necessary condition OF
of will, that there should be in Il
ng them an idea of what is willed OF
eminent, not having the idea itself IN the
it's bene- we fix our attention upon son
language already in the mind, hoping te
les on the r. nv some association and int
collation. oc;aoos IL the idea is Al