New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-04-07
NEW PUBLICATION
A TALE OF DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS.

ness should not before this have suggested itse' "S
subject for fiction. Even the undonb'cd increase ~
the number OF these strange cases ana 'hc cN'"o
dirarv serial business and domestic complications 10
which rot n few Of them have given rise ms"' nav
attracted cnterprsing romancewritcrs. Inc o'c III,
nortant hit of fiction which bears on this topic t All
i stevensons Dr. Jcky and Mr.. Iyde anu III
that no pretencc is made OF realism '"c ~ ~
.hincrv being distinctly fancifu, ana uehoi"e "
upon the supernatural. Perhaps one 'ca>o" wig
elists have not exploited double CONSEQUENCES - "
from the point Of view OF popular ignorance s'"''vF
any scientific evidence can suffice TO estaDnsh ''V
ccnuincrcss-that is to saw the innocencc-oi a uu"'
existence in which the very completeness WIZ" ~
the personality is changed leads 10 ue oois VI az
involving legal culpahili;y. Bad men Someu"eS "'U
double ves-hy pocrites scnsualistS ana roeue' wv ~
therefore rms the so-called commonsenSe argument
.,no CON h. no such thin- as dual existence caused
r,iro,v nv mental disease and comprehendne aDs'i'c
o,l,,on Of the alternative state at every ch'hse' wv
c,theIess the reality of exactly TINS ioim VI "o"'0
Consciousness has been demonstrated an"
scribcd by the most distinguished "i'e"'.'
and neurologiss living and "hole No', ,.
literature in many languages has arisen "i''' ''o
ten or fifteen years to treat this deeply ih'o'o>'e w
Goo, and IN anaIyzc in every conceivable way u'oSc
changes Of personality upon the true oe'er'"'"''o" "
which perhaps depends the whole mighty 'aSo VI
noateralistc science. The names OF Charcoi' n'p''
Ayam IiegcOs Culcrrc. Liebaut heehfi"' ''
Ia
Tnke Hammond Carpenter wlnslow' ana many
moro are associated with this wide and grave us
crsson the prolongaon of which has served 10 sio"
that the best attested facts NAV be- and sometimes
are less credible to the unprepared intelligence INA"
fairy tale .;,.u
II has however, been reserved for ne" "'i'c'
TO celebrate his dcnouement by story Ill ""." ''''
difficult and extraordinary subject is made 'ie ''''"
motive Miss Mordeck's Father is tale Oh o""'
rfc ,hc result of a double consciousness, or as IT
might be called. unstable personality "mon 'No'
is the effect OF injury 10 the brain SUSTAINED III
battle Mr. Nordcck is wealthy merchant Hia'''ou'
and having son and daughter grown up. AT I'M
certain intervals he is in the habit OF dsappeaie'
sometimes for several weeks. and no one has ever
succeeded in asceraining how he is occupied or where
he goes during these absences. The scene Is iau III
Chicago where also lives gambler Known as zap
tain Jack Dunbar. prosperous. registering CAV anu
,nercural man. who likewise has a wife ana one
cuwn daughter There is no secret made by the
author about the matter-Mr Mordeck and Captain
Dunbar are one and the same individual. and
neither has any knowledge Of the exist.
ence OF the other. Mordeck. who Is
naturally grave and sedate, is fully aware that
at intervals fierce and irresistible craving for slim
ulants seizcs upon him. and that at such times ne
goes of on what lie calls lone of his sprees' His
own belief is that he spends these absences in some
low den drinking: but since he Is nearly always
sober and in fair health when lie returns. this thing
does not really explain the facts satisfactorily The
steps by which the identity OF Mordech and DUNBAR
i, established are marked by uncommon ingenuity
and tact. We find. however, one fault IN the pot
and that consists in making Drnbais daughter an
exact fac-simile of Miss MOrdeck. The circumstances
that the girls had the same father would not account
for this resemblance. which indeed may almost be
characterized impossible in the given circumstances
Apart from that llemi,h the story is framed with
remarkable scientific fidelity. Mr. Mordecks con
dion is at first disguised masked epilepsy. though
later some doubts are thrown upon this conclusion.
The tendency Of the desire to recnr at constantly
lcsoninc intervals well shown, and its progress j.
traced with an instructed hand The time comes
when the administration OF stimuanis is no longer
needed to bring on The change of personality. Thus
on one occasion Mr.. Mordeck sinks into 4 swoon'
and regains consciousness in few minutes as Captain
Dunbar The complete severance OF the two person
altjcs is well exhibited also OF course the author
makes full and legitimate Of the tragic elements
which inhere in the situation: the position OF The
two wives and families, the difficulty of determining
without public scandal which is the legal wife: the
compication which spring thiCkly out of every phase
Of the affair. aud perplex aud bewilder
the yonng who has undertaken 70 unravel the
mystery. All these points well and duly attended
TO- but il is the psychological side Of the novel which
after all it, chief attraction. and it j. here also that
the writer exhibits her skill most clearly. As the
inquiry proceeds. the questions to be answered raise
persuaded to put himself under medical care in \
private hospital; but he has not been there long
before the alenist experts in charge breach the theory
that the side Of the patient is really the Dunbar
SIDE and tile Mordeck aspect abnormal OF course
ths carries with it a grave implication for If the
Dunbar nature is the genuine nature. then the man
is depraved morally whereas IL the Nordcck nature
is the real nature his alteration is simply physical
in lis genesis. Traumatic epilepsy is the eyotcric
judgement Of the physicians. There is just one chance
Of saving the patients mind and hfe-for now he Is
plainly sinking into demcntia. and shortly, ii not
relieved, will recognize no one and be Incapable OF
solving any problems. His double consciousness was
caused originally by wOund-bv piece OF a shell
which depressed the skull over one Of the temples.
leaving visible indentation. BY trephning this
depression be raised and If something like a
miracle happens the patient NAV recover sanity both
OF mind and body
The problem-what 10 do-is finally submitted to
the two wives. who have only just been acquainted
with their terrible positions. They made 10
understand that if the patient RECEIVERS his mind after
the operation il is inevitable that he will recognize
one of the and utterly ignore the other; but
there is no clew to indicate which Will be saken and
which left. In these conflicting circumstances the two
wives consent 10 the operation and await the final test
We shall not follow the development further say
ANYTHING Of the love story, which is an important
part Of the novel, and which is not less peculiar,
original and interesting than the dominant motive.
Tie chief interest is necessarily concentrated I'm the
phenomena Of double personality. and this has been
treated with art and csrefnlncss. Those who have
read DR.. Azares account OF his patient Zelda \.
will recognize the general mthfulness of much Of the
detail concerning Mr. Mordeck. The possibility Of a
complete change Of personality together with appar
rently perfect mental and physical coordination in
each state, formerly denied. but since the re
searches made by Charcot and Others into the phenom
ens Of hypnotism, number Of cases have been brought
10 light in which the change of personality as
thorough as that Of Mordcck, while there is ground
for believing that the tendency Of modern life Ia
high pressure in all things is enlarging the list OF
these strange mental abnormaitlcs. All who arc
interested in such singular and farreachng disorders
~ the brain will find In this novel much than
ordinary work OF felton, 1t raises questions which
society only begun TO catch the import and gravity
Of and it has medcoegal bearings which alone slould
,nsure for IL attentive perusal No doubt IL Is but