The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-12

a woman who had forgotten that she
had been married, and who obstinately
refused to live with her husband. one
old gentleman, while in familiar sur
rOundings. had a perfect memory for
faces, but when in a strange place could
not recognize his own vile. This is a
very common form of the disease in the
aged, and so affects them that they
cannot recognize their most intimate ac-
quaintances.
Usually the loss is gradual. and
comes on as a consequence of progressive
changes in the brain. But often it is as
sudden as the Brighton case. and may
arise from a multitude of cause.-the
bursting OF a blood vessel, for instance,
or an attack of epilepsy or a blow on
the head, or even severe nj of anger,
or grief, or fright, or a tainting fit or
exposure to extreme cold, or any kind of
empowering mental excitement.
Old men who search for the spectacles
they are wearing are very numerous, and
no one is more than amused by them. But
there are inexplicable and often terrify
ing cases. Men have been known to
leave home for few days, commit some
serious crime, and return quite oblvious
of what they had done. Very interesting
is the case, so common among soldiers
who have fought battle ana VINO, when
it is over cannot recall the events for
several hours. The same thing happens
to those who have escaped from snip
wreck and to aeronauts who nave Just
descended from the clouds. This is the
temporary loss due to strong emotion.
Then there are curious examples OF tenn
porary loss OF memory owing to fatigue.
Sir Henry HOLLAND, Wnen down mine IN
the HarZ mountains, and suffering from
fatigue. completely forgot his German,
and could not remember a word oil "
until he had rest and refreshnent after
ascending. We all experience this IN
less degree. Sometimes II is an injury
which causes the blank in the backward
gaze. An English professor once received
violent blow on the head. and at once
forgot all his Greek; and a musician lost
all memory of music from the same
-. n
Alps, tells how he fell over frighful
precipice 200 feet high, with the result
that his past. was for a time wholly
botted out Of his memory.
The most singular cases OF mcmory-loss
are in connection with language. II -
quite common in our hospitals to see a
sick German unable to speak a word or
the English he had thoroughly mastered.
A very singular instance Of this is re-
ported from New York. Many years ago
DR.. Scandelli died in a hospital IN that
city When first admitted he could speak
only English; as the illness progressed ne
forgot that language ana could now oilI
converse in French; but on the day OF
his death another change occurred, ana
he could speak nothing but his own IAN
guage-Italian. Many varieties Of TINS loss
of memory Of words exist. clergyman,
some time ago lost all recollection or
words; but he could still remember the
letters of which they were composed, ana
| could express his ideas freely by spell
ing the word. An officer suffered from
| a Slight attack ofapopleXEs aads as a re-
| suit, forgot all bat a very lew words.
1 When he tried to speak he merely ut
| tered nonsense; but If a book or manu-
script were handed to him he read 1t with
| perfect propriety. One of the most eN-
! traordnary of all memory-losses is when
a person forgets how to write with his
right hand, but still has the power to do
| so with his left hand In such case,
after he has written with his left hand
| the desired sentence, he can copy 1t with
| his right hand.
When the memory of words IS gradually
| lost 1t invariably progresses in one par
! ticular order First the proper names 60
| then the common nouns. then adjectivesl
| and this stage is followed by failure OF
| the power to recollect events. Very many
people suffer from the first degree-ex-
| cessive smokers, for instance, it is said
| sometimes find II difficult to recall names
! Drunkenness is a well-known cause. and
| who mislaid a package while drunk, for
/ got where he had put 1t when sober, and
| had to get drunk again to find it.