Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-08-20
Alexa. Gazette e. Virginia Advertise
OBLITERATION OF MEMORY.

OBLITERATIONO OF MEMORY.
But the subject Of the obliteration Of the re-
cords of memory undor certain conditions is as
curious as that of their unexpected revival.
The two kinds of changes are, indeed, 10 some
cases simultaneous; while one set of impres.
sious is recalled, another is concideutly erased
or lost A we'll known living physician not long
ago recorded the case OF a lady who, up TO her
sixteenth year, had lived in France, and spoke
only French. After this she came to England,
learned the language, married 40 American
20, and for the next 20 years lived partly in
America and partly 10 England, speaking Eng
lsh habituay, French scarcely ever. She then
became ILL., forgot her English and all about her
married life, aud if asked who she was, gave
her maiden name, and mentioned iu French
the street in Paris 10 which she had lived as
girl. So completely had she forgotten her
English that it was necessary to change her
Euplish for a French maid 10 some of the
cases of partial loss of memory from Injury or
disease OF the brain, it would be very puzzllng
to account satisfactorily for the nature aud the
very limited extent of the loss. Thus fever
obterated from the memory of learned man
the letter IF, without apparently committing
any other injury. A soldier who had under
gone the operation OF trepan, and lost slice OF
brain matter, lost with it the power to recall
the numbers esp and - and was only able
to fix them in his mind by laboriously learning
them like child. Sir Benz. Brodle mentions
the case Of a groom in the service of George ".
who was kicked by vicious horse while ne
was in the act Of cleaning it. The groom
did not fall, nor was he at all stunned or To-
sensible; but be entirely forgot what he had
been doing at the time the blow was Inflicted.
There was an interval of time blotted out, as it
were, from his recollection He inferred, IN
fact, that during that time he had been asleep.
A youug lady who had been present at catas-
1rophe 10 Scotland, at which many persons
were killed by the fall of the gallery of church,
escaped without injury, but with the complete
loss of the recollection of any of the circum-
stances; and this extended not only to the ac
cident but to everything that had occurred to
her certain time before going 10 the church.
a gentleman mentioned by DR.. Beatle lost his
knowledge of Greek from blow on the head,
whilst the other mental stores were lett intact.
Sometimes however, disease appears to make
clean sweep of all acquired knowledge OF
every kind. The following extraordinary case
was published iD an American medical work
many years ago. The patient clergy
man who, at the termination of severe i'll
ness, lost the recollection of everything, even
the names OF the most common Objects
When his health was restored, he began to ac-
uuire knowledge just as child does. After
learning the names of objects, he was taught
to read, and after this began to learn the Latin
language. He had made considerable prog
ress when, one day, In reading his lesson with
his brother, who was his teacher he sud
denly stopped and put his bands to his head
Being asked why he did so, be replied
Il feel peculiar sensation in my head; and
-, hat EpaU
before" From that time he rapidly recovered
his faculties. 1t is recorded by BallaDtyne of
Sir Walter Scott that when the bride OF
Lammermoor, 10 its printed form, was SUBJ
United to him, after au illDess be did not re-
cognize as his own one single incident, char
acter or conversation it contained; yet the or-
giDal tradition was perfect 10 his mind. When
Mrs. Arkwright saDg some verses of Sir Wal
ter's one evening at Lord Francis Egerton's
the author of them whispered to Lockhart:
Capital words Whose are they? Byron s, |
suppose, but | don't remember them" For
voluminous author to forget some of his own
writings does not appear so remarkable; but
one can hardly conceive ofa person falling to
recollect his own name; but cases are on record
of this ne plus ultra of forgetiulness A man
Of not very strong intellect, who held an office
the sole duty of which consisted in signing his
own name to a number of papers, had one day so
much business OF this kind to do that he was
incapable Of recollectng the word he ought to
sigu A writer OF the | asst century relates that
Mr.. Won B, envoy at St. Petersburg went
Que morning 10 pay number OF visits. Among
other houses at which he called there Was one
where the servants did not know him, and con-
scquenty be was under the necessity Of giving
in his name; but this he found he had entirely
forgotten Turning round to gentleman who
accompanied him, he said with much earnest.
ness 'For Gods sake tell me who am
This odd request excited laughter but he Insist
I'd on being answered. adding that he had en-
trely forgotten bis name.- Chambers jour.
ICELAND has celebrated her menuial,
though We will not hear of it for some days
yet Bayard Taylor, Cyrus W. Field aud 9th,
er Americans are there. The population OF
Iceland, except on the coast where the Usher
les are valuable, is almost entirely agricultural,
having large pastures 10 that bleak latitude, and
raising sheep, horses and COWS. Fruits and
vegetables grow but slowly and badly, ln SUM
mer the thermometer ranges from forty hve to
sixty degrees, aud 10 winter from two to twen-
ty nine. 1t is dreary and sdesolate couu,ry.
The people have but two Seasons. When SUM
mer ends. about October, the winter begins
and stays for six months more, during which
they have only a twilight, and for mouth or
50 hardly glimpse of the sun above the horl-
zou lu their long winter days and nights the
lcelanders hibernate 10 their close and crowded
novels, where they employ themselves by lamp
light in a variety of necessary trades. and also
spend much of their time in teaching their
children to read and write. All Iceland adults
can read and write their native speech, which
has been so little changed 10 the long lapse OF
Centuries that the old sagas are read by every
body as easily as we read the English OF Shaks'
peare aud Milton.