Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-02-06
The Loss Of Memory Through Shock.

Mental depression, incoherence of
thought and absolute insensibility are.
of course, the common symptoms ac-
companying shock, varying with its
amount; and moments, hours, days,
weeks, or even months of blank follow
upon a jar of the brain, according to the
degree of disturbance to which it may
have been subjected. These are ordin-
airy phenomena; but while it has been
common to note the time at which the
patient comes to himself and memory
resumes its action, it is not so general to
inquire as to what particular moment
recollection vanished. | think we are
generally content to date this from the
time when the injury was received. and
yet, under some circumstances, it will
be found that there has been quite an
appreciable period anteeedent to this, OF
which ali record has been wiped from
the brain; and this fact may be of inn
portanoe in several ways. Several
cases in my experience, illustrating the
truth of the proposition Laid down, hap
pening in swift succession, induces me
to make record of them. -r-r
|. A gentleman returning to his home
one night went first to the front door to
get in, but this being locked he went
round the house to the back door. Along
side of this entrance were steep steps
leading to an open basement, and, the
night being very dark, he missed his
way and fell into it, a distance of eight
feet. When found, supposedly within
half hour afterward, he was completely
unconscious, and upon examination it
was discovered he had ascalp wound on
the back of his head down to the bone,
which was unbroken. He was restored
to consciousness in a few hours, and the
next morning was wholly cognizant of
passing events, and several days later
was about as usual. He retained no
memory whatever of his fall, all recol-
lection ceasing at the time when he
turned away from his front door to go
around the house, though after this he
had to traverse a distance OF a hun
dred feet to reach the point where he
| fell.
Q. Two weeks since / attended gen.
| tleman who had fallen through hatch
way of warehouse, distance OF nine
| feet, into cellar. He had a rib broken
and Il deep wound in his chin. Within
half hour after his fall he was removed
to a carriage assisting somewhat those
who were helping him. He had great
confusion of thought for several hours
|
was, what was the matter with him,
etc. He had q sharp surgical fever, an
abscess developing in his jaw but after
the first thirty-six hours his intelligence
was completely restored. He had no
recollection of his accident. All that he
remembered was that he and his brothe
| had entered the warehouse together at
dark; that he had sat down by the stove
near the front door, and his brother had
gone back some distance to the count
| ing-room; that when he had warmed
himself he rose to follow him. The
rest was blank. From the stove to the
hatcbway was distance of thirty feet.
| 3. A boy five years of age was IN the
habit of climbing out upon window
sill, for which his mother had punished
him. Entering the room one day she
saw him again in his perilous situation
Afraid to alarm him by speaking to him,
she ran below to warn him back and to
catch him in case he should fall. She
was too late, however, finding him living
insensible on the pavement from ; fall
of u dozen feet. The injury sustained
was apparently fracture at The 'ase OF
the skull, hemorrhage and a serous dis
charge coming from his ears. He re-
covered, however, and his conscious
ness returned in torty-elght hours. Ills
account to his mother of his fall was:
" / wasn't bad, mamma. | got out on
the window, but I got back before any
one told me-"
The comments have to make on the
cases narrated shall be brief. They are:
First-That the point at which mem
ory leaves one in injuries accompanied
by great shock seems to be at the record
of the last prominent idea. In the first
case the walk around the hous was
monotonous, and the gentleman was NO
doubt all the while occupied with the
circumstances connected with his not
getting in his front door, as he had at
first intended. In case second the
prominent idea OF the man was in leav-
ing the comfortable stove to join his
brother. In case third it was the
mothers Injunction.
Second The points noted seem to es-
tablish the fact of enthanasia in cases OF
violent death, not only to actual pain
inflicted by the injury, but as to the an
ticipation of the horrible event.-R. U.
CoUlinq, NJ. D., in Medical Practitioner.