Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-23
FREAKS OF MEMORY,
Curious Cnsen of Mental Uncertainty
and the Causes.

From the Gentleman's Magazine.
The story was told the other day of Whit
tier. tho deceased American poet, having
applauded at a public meeting the quota
ton of some of his own verses. in complete
forgetfuness or The fact that he had writ
ten them himself. But this is nothing
compared with the remarkable Instances of
cerebral eccentricity that have been re-
corded at various times by physicians and
others.
The most curious incident connected
With memory is, Of course its entire
lapse; and such cases are not by any means
SO infrequent as e. generally supposed. 1t
Is startling enough. no doubt to hear a
fellow-creature asking another feilow-creat-
ure to tell him who he Is, but such things
have actually happened. Indeed, ii was
only last year THAT case OF the kind was
engaging the attention OF Melbourne physi-
clans. A young man, about thirty years of
age, called at the police barracks and de-
mandei TO be informed to his own iden-
t.ty. AT first IL WAS thought that the man
was lunatic, but it soon became evident
that his statement to his memory hav-
ing failed him was perfectly genuine lie
was taken into custody and kept in the
Melbourne jail, where he was the object OF
much attention and curiosity on the part
of physicians and warders.
lie persisted in the declaration that he
did not remember anything before the day
on which he visited the police barracks
and several medical men expressed their
belief III his statement, attributiAs HIS lack
Of memory to masked epilepsy. Curiously
enough, the man ultimately recovered his
senses through the music of the sail Sun
day service. One morning he was observed
listening intently 10 the singing he was
questioned about IL and said. Il seem to
have heard that before somewhere. What
is it?'' He did not understand when told
a ha ~ fha
| vice Or. Shields took him up to the organ.
and having shown him that the sounds he
| had heard were produced by lingering the
keys, seated him in front of the instrument
| The man struck several notes unintelii-
| gibly, and then a chord or two in harmony
and In an instant, with a look of pleasure
he commenced a selection from THE Crea-
tion," which ne played correctly ard well
He used the stops. and showed that he Was
familiar with the instrument and in this
way, as already indicated. he gradually re-
covered his loss of memory.
Forgetting Their Identity.
Such protracted cases as this are not
very common. but instances of a temporary
loss OF identity could be quoted without
number. The late DIR. Spring of New York
1t is told. was once observed by one Of his
parlshioners TO be standing vacantly
gazing outside the post Office. The
parishioner went up TO him and said:
glad to see you" To which the doctor re,
piled: "Ah! that's what / am. / am very
thankful to have met you. sir. for 1 have a
letter in the post office addressed 10 my
self. but could not get It because 1 could
not remember my name. Now 1 can so In
and get it." On par with this is the
arecdote told of DIR. Duncan. the great
Scottish theologian and oriental scholar.
Having TO preach in church near Aber-
deem. he set off one Sunday morning to
walk to the place. Slowly moving along
he quickly got into the seventh heaven of
mental exaltation, and time, space and
matter fell from him like garments. Reach
ing the church and seeing people entering.
X occurred to him TO be a very proper thing
to engage In public worship. Going up TO
the elder at the Plate. he inquired who was
to preach. and only came to himself
when he was told that the preacher was to
be Mr.. Duncan, from Aberdeen" One IS
at fret inclined to doubt the authenticity
OF such anecdotes. hut the present writer Is
ready TO believe anything Of the kind since
an ahsent-mindel friend Of his own re-
turned home-after performing part OF his
journey by rail-to ask where he was going.
Result of Disease.
The most Striking cases OF lapsed memory
are. however. to lie found in persons vino
have had \ severe Illness, or are tempo
rarily diseased mentally. The more COM
mon form of the malady. too f. the for
getting Of every incident of the past save
one. on which the morbid mind never ceases
to harp. 4 very pathetic case Of the kind
is recorded In Becks Medical Jurispru-
dence." 1t is that OF young clergyman
who was accidentally shot In the forehead
by fried just two days before his mar
riage Was to have taken place. For a long
time his life was despairel Of He recov-
cred, but his mental faculties had become
impaired. He remembered nothing but the
Idea of the approaching marriage. Every
thing was absorbed in that one recollec-
ton: his whole conversation related to the
preparation for the event He would never
within two days OF his wedding Years
went on. youth passed away, and stu in a
couple of days more his marriage would
take place. In this condition the unfsrtu-
nate man reached his eiShtieth year, and
no doubt sank into the grave with the one
lifelong Idea as the last thought Of his
mind.