The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-26
vAGARIEs OF THE MEMORY.
People Have Entirely Forgotten
Who They Were

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The French scientist Ribot. in his work
on Disease Of the Memory" describes
some peculiar and interesting cases that
have come under his notice during the
years of his experiments and researches.
Among others he tells OF man, 80
years Of age. Of considerable learning and
requirements. who was found, al the
termination Of a sever illness. to have
lost the recollection OF. everything. even
the name Of che most common objects.
As soon as his health was restored he
began 10 reacquire knowledge like a
child After learning the names Of oh
jects. he was taught TO read. and. after
this. began to learn Latin. He made
considerable progress. when. one day. In
reading his lesson with his brother. who
was his teacher. ne suddenly stopped and
put his hand 10 his head.
What Is the natter Don't you feel
wel2'' asked his brother
Il feel a peculiar sensation IN my
head, he replied. and now it seems 10
me that l knew all this before"
Strange TO say, from that time he rapid
ly recovered his faculties, and could never
understand how II had been neces-
sary to teach him reading and writing
when he was 30 years OF age and a
proficient in both.
young woman welded to a man she
loved passionately. was seized in the
course OF a severe Illness with long
syncope. at the termination Of which It
was found that she had lost all memory
of the time after and including her
marriage. All the rest OF her life down
10 that time she remembered perfectly.
At FIRST she repealed her husband. She
was never able to regain the memory Of
that period of her life nor OF the events
belonging TO it. Her relatives and friends
succeeded, by reasoning with her and
by the force Of their combined testimony.
In persuading her that she had been mar
ried. She credited them, preferring 10
belve that she had lost the memory
of a year rather than TO hold them all to
be liars and imposters. But her own
convictions, her own innermost conscious
ness. had no part In this. She saw
before her her alleged husband, but
could not imagine how she had won him.
A friend of the scientists was driving
his wife and child In a phaetOn when the
horse ran away and dashed violently
against a wall. He was thrown out and
Sustained a severe conclusion of the
brain. In recovering he found that he
had completely forgotten the immediate
antecedents OF the accident. The last
thing he remembered was that he had
met an acquaintance on the road about
two miles from the scene OF it. OF the
efforts he had made TO stop the horse
and Of the terror of his wife and child
he has not to this day any recollection
whatever.
Time, toward the close of his life.
took pleasure IN reading his works. and
would eXclaim as he read, forgetting that
he himself was the author. beautiful!
/ wish 1 had written that"
The poet. Rogers, when 30 years of age,
was out driving with a woman. She In
quired Of him about another woman whom
he could not reccllect. He pulled the
check-strlng and inquired OF his servant:
do ! know Lady NJ
The reply was:
Eyes, sir"
This was a painful moment to them
both Taking his companion by the hand
he said: "Never mind, my dear; / am not
compelled to stop the carriage TO ask If
know you"
A man, seized with an epilepdc Mt. in "a
shop. fell to the floor. got up again and
went away leaving his hat and note book
behind.
II was found" he said. 'half mile
away. / inquired for my hat In all the
shops, but ! was unconscious of what ]
was doing and did not come to myself
till fifteen minutes later, when / reached
the railroad
DR.. MacNash, In his book on THE Phil
osophy of Sleep" gives the following re-
markable instance Of lost memory.
"a young American woman on awak-
ening from a protracted sleep, lost mem
ory of all she had before learned Her
memory was capacious and was stored
with copious stock of IDEAS Unexpect-
eddy and without any warning she fell
into q profound sleep, which continued
several hours beyond the ordinary term.
on waking she was discovered to have lost
every trace OF acquired knowledge Her
memory was clean washed slate all YES
tiges, both of words and things were oblit-
Grated and gone. 1t was found necessary
for her to learn everything again She
even acquired by new efforts the arts of
spelling, reading. writing and calculating.
and gradually became acquainted with the
persons and objects around. like being
for the first time brought into the world.
In these exercises she made a considerable
proficiency. But after a few months an
other mt of somnolency invaded her On
rousing from it she found herself restored
to the state she was in before the first
paroxylsm, but was wholly ignorant of
every event and occurrence that had be-
fallen her afterwards"