The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-20
err HYPNOTIC TRANCE?
socialists Theory Regarding the
a Sleeping Woman OF A'tica-

FO' ue - the sleeping woman OF
hlilli1 nora or less occupied the at
AtllcA' .hs oublic, and until very re-
81, Il, explanation has banned tue SAli
en- ~ medical faculty. without ascer-
% . nj cause. Mrs. Althouse began lnouig-
.'-' nrolouged maps which extended over
ing ~ ~ 80, twenty-five to thirty days.
periOu9 --al,ering she would remain IN an
After a" '{lf ',,ornal condition for several
apparent. han reiass into prolonged sleep
again. -. focts we're first made public
W men ! ~ of the frances was doubted,
the geluin bscame evide { TO the site 1dlng
oul !. 80 that no deception was DEM
phys.i;-oi Whatever the cause, tne cohul-
plao.-9, that OF apparently na1ural Sleep
IIo ma ell efforts to awake ner proven una
eaiiing. During the last Few lnonoaH nc
EaiILIH, a. tine periods has been gradually
ielstIi and they do not now extend over
iessSn l. tbrae davs. 1t has been character
TWO u ~ the frances that when
Esre Althouse a"oke she had
VIE. vague recollection OF dreams,
olny stories of alleged visions which
auu w l-o,a the rounds of the newspapers
law = have been largely the outcome OF
s sSa lid imagir alton of the writer's.
LIE ~ days ago the writer visited Attlca
tor the nnrpose, if possible, OF solving the
!,vsterT and the explain atom Is no" ior
tbe first time made public
Mrs. Althouse lives quietly with ner
narents on High street, In tne western paII
IF the village. Her father Is "eI-Io-uo
" The adults of the family con-
nc If the father and mother. Mrs. Ait
80 cd her two unmarried sisters. Tney
&c rvalI spoken OF by all their nelghDors,
",,opoy whom there appears at no time u
bara been any suspicion OF deception. In
.ba carly history of the case public curiosity
ran bio6 and for a time newspaper report
d~s and the public generally were freely ad-
.7i;+tad To the house. OF late, however, the
fan1i y have disc }uragea, if not, indeed, en-
tirelv excluded visitors.
Until within very short time the attend
inc physicians have been unable to MAKE
Satisfactory diagnosis. On visiting Attl ca
The writer made the acquaintance OF Dr.
William C. Krauss of Buffalo, a former
rasident Of Attica. DR.. Krauss said he had
tnown Mrs. Althouse for a number of
xears He has recently returned from a
ibree years. soiourn in Berlin and Paris,
and while he was abroad that the facts OF
the lady's condition were made known to
him Although he is not Mrs. Althouse's
nhvsiciaD. he has seen her on several occa-
sions since his return.
mo. - said DR.. Krauss, in reply to pre-
Iminary inquiry by the newspaper man.
1.-THE element Of receptions does not enter
into this case am satisfied that it is the
hypnotic condition of hysteria. While in
Paris saw several similar cases in the hos
pitfalls, and, having the one in mind, studied
them closely The French give the sleepers
the name of dOrmeuSeS-'women sleepers
10 the
French cases | saw, and thoroughly salts
fed myself of their nature. although | have
not before made my conclusions public.
The patients pass into this hypotnic con-
dion Of hysteria and it is impossible to
awaken them. After a period, sometimes
of a month, the patient awakes herself, and
until the time for awaking arrives it is use
less to stick pins or needles into her, or use
auy harsh measures"
How do you account for the shortening
of the frances in the case of Mrs. Alt
h1usem
81 DO not think it is the result of treat
men. She seems to be passing out of the
condition without any definite cause"
you speak of an hypnotic condition of
hysteria terms which are somewhat puz-
ziug 10 a layman. You do not mean that
these sleepers are hypnotized, or, as we used
to term it, mesmerIzed, and thrown into this
condition"
mo, it is simply a condition of hysteria.
The subjects are almost invariably women
and of peculiar temperament. There must
be this temperament do not ascribe it to
outside hypnotic Influences"
Am right in thinking that physicians
are paying more attention of late to
hypnotic or me5meric phenomenal
Yes. We have now placed hynotism on
hat
Clans are now taking hold of hypnotism as a
curative agent. For many years the laity
have used it for amusement; now physi-
cans are beginning to make it useful. |
nave an hysterIc patient in Buffalo, and,
other measures having failed, have made
arrangements to have her hypnotized, and
lexpect good results
Mrs. AlthOuse, the Attica dOrmeuSe. is a
preposSesslng woman about % years old.
Sle Is married and has one child, a bright
lad Of Years. Since the frances have be-
come shorter there is h marked improve
Ment In her health
IN MS observation of the French cases Dr.
AfauSS gathered many technical facts
sucn cannot tall to have bearing on the
treatment of future cases, and which he
VIII soon embody IN a formal report.
resides the Attica case and those OBJ
@fved by DR.. Krauss in Paris, there is a
setautlentlcated case which occurred in a
@tal town In the north of England about
hwy years ago The patient was known as
Io Deacon Sleeper" from the town in
"ulcu lie lVed. In this instance the sleeper
S young man. The first indication of
Ie trance was q sudden disposition to
n '' when came over him one afternoon.
nc y@u ms mother that he would take a
soJ, iU nS sleep And he did. He did not
S" axe until the end of three months, AS
I, ,ue early history of the Attica case, VIC
awo1 LEANS Is were employed to endeavor to
| sAeI MN, but with the same lack of re-
sa@' The gentleman who related the caso
sooi ,no writer had a vivid recollection of
snd ls lne poor sleeper prodded with nins
Witb I rse and other sharp instruments.
Tba ~ oVher result than the loss of blood
moi,.. a'1sndants kept the PATIENTS Inns
Coo with stlmulants, and he was
foo5 04aiy glVln small quantities of liouid
No n Gnilke the latter cases referred 10
that silsu sleeper recollected everything
consci ~, uired during the trance. He was
needla 80 ~ VI being subjected to the pin and
niz4d +Sa allheht, and insisted that he recop-
MMs rDo. voices OF friends when they talked
the scord ~ hen ne felt the approach of
Protect bil, u t eilce ne begged his friends to
trea, ,,. nun from repetition of the fornor
bad MY ny placing a railing abour his
be er tne request was complied with and
lasted t sor1 into a second trance, which
third t,yue"hat longer than the first The
death db1"c e, which was still longer. ended
sing as .h ne history of the case is inter
thrown ~ oS SI.4, , that little light had been
fty yso Yl 'ne Diagnosis or treatment during
E9usss 4''' until the observations of Dr.
tAenaladv is OF the cause and nature of
first - Is important also DC forr,;- =,