The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-21
A SINGULAR CHANGE.
A Man Permanently "Turned Around''
by An Accident.

OF Runaway 3Iishap-Partiai i'es''
ton of Memory Came Slowly, but Lie
Was Completely Changed Man.
DR.. Osborne, in an interview wlth
New York reporter, cites the following
case of lost identity:
''Y. was a stalwart young Irishman, ac-
tive, healthy and strong. He was married,
a coachman by occupation and was es'
teemcd industrious and trustworthy.
lone afternoon he accompanied TWO
young mon friends to a nearby town 10
make some purchases. The buggy was
small, and the three crowded into the one
seat. In crossing bridge spanning ra.i-
way the horse took fright at an approach"
ing train and became unmanageaple. Inc
horse ran away, the buggy was overturned
and the three occupants were thrown ouo.
The horse was finally caught mile or SO
below the bridge, ard, the whole aHalr oc-
curing in thickly settled suburb OF the
town, people were. soon on the scene. Ihey
found two insensiblc men in the road, ana
these they carried toa nearby house, Where
in short time after the accident was
enabled toexamine their wounds. found
them both suffering from severe skull rrac-
lures, from which they both died within
few hours.
when we came 20 look for T., he had
mysteriously disappeared Several persons
had seen him in the buggy when it had
crossed the bridge-had seen the three men
at the time the buggy upset-but somehow
in the excitement of the accident Y. drop
ped out of sight and was believed to have
gone To his home less than q mile distant.
such was not the case, however, ana
search was instituted In the bellef tnat ne
had wandered off in dazed condition into
some lone place and there perhaps mao
fallen insensible. No trace .sould be found
OF MN.
The next day while On my professional
tour | stopped at his home to make IN
quirles OF his Wlfe-they were regular pa
tients OF mine-and was informed that he
had mysteriously appeared at the door just
few moments before. NO one had seen
him enter the village street leading to his
house. His wife, distracted with grlef at
his unexplained and singular disappear
ance, CHANGED to go to the door opening on
the street, and there confronted Z. stand
Ing dazed and stupid on the doorstep
He did not speak at first, but looked ABOUT
dlAii 60 o1AC O-AElCoaSet 80 - 49, = -
His attempts to speak afterward were linn
tied to unintelligible cultural sounds. lie
permitted her to lead him inside ana to
take off his dust covered and torn outer
garments, when SEINE of dis injuries be-
came apparent. Efe was impressed and put
10 bed and / msde thoraugh examlna-
tion of his condition. f7e
His respiration was heavy, Irregular
and labored. His pulse was high, his pu-
pills contracted, his. SKIN cold, MS lntelh-
gence almost nil. He had sustained, pc
sides numerous superficial cuts and bruis-
es, fracture of three ribs, fracture o.
the left arm, dislocation OF the wrist Ok
the same arm, a fracture OF finger OF the
left hand and two or three severe scalp ane
face wounds. could detect no skull frae-
tuTe nor bono depression
He was singularly Indifferent 30 my
dressing, his wounds and appeared TO be to
a large extent III state OF an8sthesla
After we had dressed his wounds, placed
him in comfortable position in bed and
induced first rate surgical reaction noticed
a vague change in his appearance, put
paid no special attention 20 1t, attrlputlng
it to the effects OF his fright and the shock
OF the accident. 49,
He fully recovered from his injuries IN
due season For, about three weeks ne lay
in ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS making at lnter-
walls feeble attempts toIspeak, put ms Ell
forts were mainly inerticulate. AS ne raj
lied the various functions ragalned their
normal status, and he began TO say rev
words distinctly, but his seiectlon OF words
was amneslc, ana as he showea uenclen6
power OF attention and lncoherence OF
ideas l fully expected some form OF the
aphasic condition to supervene.
II visited him several times each day
and noted With increasing lheesest tne
progressive changes MS features uhuef
went One day suddenly reaiazeo tna0
ne pore but little resemblance 70 MS ior-
mef sell. lcalled MS VIE S atoeh0loii 10 ~
ana she sald that others hao no0lceo IL
Also HIS eye mad an entlrely changea ap-
pearance, and the features were dls0lnctly
those OF another man. HIS speech came
BACK nnalIy. Du6 his voice was NOT ms
former well hnoWn voice. IL was now
strangely mild, and the words ne used
were carefuily selected ana evenly enuhcl-
ated. HIS mar rapidly turned Wnloe IN
stfeaKs. HIS lace assumed d serioe's' al