National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-22
"DouBLE CONSCIOUSNESS
The Disease which Probably Afflicted tn
Rev. John MARYLAND.

HDoUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS"
The Disease which Probably Afflicted the
| Rev. John NarsIand.
| The disappearance of the Rev. John Marsland,
| of Windham County Connecticut and his expia-
! nation when he was found at Binghamton, New
/ York, 400 miles away from his residence, that all
that had happened in the interval was blank to
him, brings up the mooted question whether there
/ is or is not such a disease as double conscious
ness" Many skeptics aver that such condition
of mind is impossible; but several physicians OF
this city and Paris declare that the diagnosis of
this mental disorder is well defined. DR.. William
! A Hammond, being asked his opinion on the SUBJ
! ject, said:
There is no doubt that anlnesia, or double
consciousness, exists in both a chronic and
acute form. 1t is something more than absent
mindedness or temporary insanity. have CLASH
! fed il as mild form of epilepsy. Many cases
have come under my notice Among them was
that Of patient iDe large mercantile establish
uen:, who lcss mis- Office at eleven o'clock 10 get
signature 20 paper from gentleman whose place
of business was distant only few minutes walk
He had not returned at three o'clock, and it was
subsequently ascert8ined that he had visited the
Office obtained the signature and had left in ap-
pa-ently good health at haif-past eleven. He did
not appear at his own Office ill nearly five o'clock
The last thing he recoected was passing ST. PaIfs
Church, at the conner OF Broadway and Nescy
street. 1t was subsequently, found that he had
gone 10 Brooklyn. had visited newspaper office
there and purchased newspaper. He had then
returned 10 New York, got into an omnibus al Full
ton ferry left the corner of Twenty-third street
entered the Fifth Avenue Hotel. and while there
recovered his recollection.
An even more interesting case occurred in the
autumn of $50 The patient. who was q manufac-
JuTer left his office az nine a. TO buy some bulbs.
He remained away eight days, and TO trace was
obtained Of him during that time. II was subse-
guently ascertained that he had been 10 theatres,
hotels, where he slept, and stores. where he made
purchases, and that he had made journey of ole
hundred miles from New York. Losing his ticket.
he was put of at a way station. and, returning 10
New York. passed the night az hotel, and on the
eighth Ga?. al about ten o'clock. made his appear
ance al his Office. lie had no recollection of what
had occurred. although he had acted coherently
and had drank nothing intoxicating except glass
OF ale, which he had with some oysters in q restau-
rant Oh Sixth avenue
DR.. Azam. of Bordeaux. also tciis Of q young
woman under his treatment who had periodical
attacks of aplncs;a. In her case there were two
separate stages Of existence. She lived for a few
weeks in her normal life and then without mo-
menIS warming reiapsed into her second state. in
which latter condition She remained three months
az q time. This second state was attended by
sudden change ofchaTarter. which passed off sud
denly when she resumed her normal condition
Is this disease incurable?" asked the reporter
BY no means: its treatmen; IS quite simple.
These epilsptic pa-oJysrns similar TO trance,
ecstacy. or catalepsy- They arc not directly dan
gerous 10 life. but they tend to impair the mind
The action OF the mind Is probably automatic
although the patient under the influence OF this
int
he did. On passing into the second state II is not
an uncommon occurrence for The patient 10
member the last thing he doing when he was
IN his normal condition. 4 gentleman while re-
iating some auecdoie at the break faSt-:able was
seized with these peculiar epileptic paroxysms
He unnamed III the state of second consciousness
f0T several hours. and on recovering was able TO
take up the thread Of The conversation wh"re
ne had Jeff il. In the interval he had acted
sanely. but { totally different being. About the
diagnosis Of the remarkable psroxvsIns, the main
feature ofwhich Is inconsistencies. or rather the
nOn--ecolecIion Of consciousness ii which the in
dividual acts apparently automatically, great
difficulty exists. Probably nothing short of full
history Of the case from infancy Cd will suffice fo-
the recognition OF the real nature Of the pheGor-
ena. Only persons Ct nervous tenFeFa-
nent are subject 10 70 snneSia. Under cer.Gin
conditions the patient assumes traits OF character
Clllrr-Nls 10 lle Traits q lllS person III whose
presence he has passed into the state of second
consciousness. The patient in his second life is
generally insensibIe 70 pain. have seen woman
50 affected whose shawl could pin 10 the nape OF
heT neck wiIhCu: her knowing anything about IT,
This disease Of second consciousness Is very in
portant in n,cdico-legal aspects. II viii afford
much focd fo- the faculty study for many years
70 ccme. Il Is analogous 10 sleep-drunkenness
and think that many crimes can he Traced 10
either one O. the other cause The sudden wax
ing OF persons asleep i very dangerous They arc
impel!ed 10 some instantaneous action. ard Of
what action thai may be. take the example Of tie
German " he being suddenly sEenel. took ~ an
axe and brsined his son. The woman in London
who threw al her children cut 81 the top sta:y
window uluSl have passed in,o this condition q
second consciousness. Is dc probably The w0lIEn
IL Jersey City, who. after sulesrirE her children
with keEuseRe OIL SCI theIr on fire sn perfectly
willing 10 CERTIFY that any one possessed Of an
nesi ! tA0songhiy irresponsible although his &C
lions. 70 those who don't know the pcFsGn. may
appear perfectly Ineligible. 1-Ns:5 ToTE Uerid