The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-22
YOUNG PRONTS'S LONG LIFE.
The Doctors Declare His To Be Re
markable Case.


markable Case.
He Has Been Asleep Twenty-Five Days
and While He Has Taken Scarcely Any
Nourishment He Is Not Emaciated-
New York Sum-
The case of Moritz Front, who has been
asleep since April 81, and who is now be-
ing treated in the Beth Israel Hospital,
at EOS East Broadway, is the most inter-
esting case of catalepsy that New York
physicians have seen for years. As was
told in the Sun yesterday, this is Pront's
fourth oatalept1c sleep. His first attack
was eight years ago and lasted five days,
which were spent in Bellevue Hopsital.
His third was three years ago, and lasted
nine days. during all of which time the
doctors at the Mount Sinai Hospital
worked to wake him. None of these
sleeps was preceded by any of the symp-
toms which ordinarily precede attacks
Of oatalepsy. The boy simply felt sleepy,
This time he slept at his own home for
ten days, and scarcely any attempt was
mads to awaken him, his parents sup
posing that he would got up when he got
ready, as he did in the other instances.
But when he broke his sleep record they
became frightened, and they had him
taken to the hospital where. since May
he has had the constant attention of
DR.. Nelson and has been visited by many
other physicians.
He was seen yesterday by q reporter
for the Sun while the daily treatment to
bring him out Of his sleep was being adj
ministered. DR.. Nelson says that Fronts
difficulty is hysteria and that that is the
cause of the catalepsy
Then, is it possible That he is sham
ming sleep?" asked the reporter.
81 think it is possible, said the doc
tor, Though it is unlikely, for the treat
ment he has received has been SO severe
could control himself. For instance, we
have given him a charge of electricity
that am certain he could not stand if
he WAS shamming, and it has been ap.
piled to the most sensitive parts of his
body.I think it more than likely that the
trouble is an absolute loss of will power.
This is so in many cases of catalepsy.
The victim retains consciousness, it may
not be full CONSCIOUSNESS, but there is
enough to know what Is going on around
him. Bor instance he may be conscious
of our presence at his bedside. He may
hear what we say and understand it all
but he has not the power to show that he
understands 1t. He cannot move
muscle. He cannot lift his eyelids. His
jaws are locked and he cannot open
them. We can take any part Of him and
do with it what we will. He may know
what we are doing but he is powerless to
protest or to prevent US. He may be
unconscious of pain and all that. We
are starving him now. The physicians
Of treatment We will keep him abso-
lutely without food for forty-eight hours.
Then we will give him food again by IN
joetion and later perhaps if it is advisa-
BILE We will starve him again. But
: think this will hardly be necessary, for
/ believe he will wake up either tonight
: or tomorrow morning. l think this be-
cause of the way he responds to the tests.
He responds. better than he has done be-
fore, and 1t looks very much as if the
long sleep was nearly over. When he
came here his body was rigid. The rigid
ity has gone now and it is easy to place
! him in any position that We choose
the nurses who came in lifted him out
and placed him OH the floor. He laid ex-
actly in the position that he was plaosd.
, Not muscle stirred When the bed was
made he was picked up and put back in
:, it. The Farrady battery, a fresh one, was
brought into the room and the TWO poles
were applied to different parts of BIS
body. A light current was tunred on
ami it was gradually increased until the
full strength was in USE The arms
moved and the muscles in the check con-
trated. There was muscular response
everywhere but it was like the response
that a dead body makes There was
continued some time and then the our
rent was turned off.
The doctor next took a needle and
jabbed it into the mans leg half a dozen
times. There was no response whatever.
The operation was repeated dozen times
on the arms with no effect; Then it was
put clear through bis cheek couple Of
times and still there was no result. The
needle was laid aside and the doctor
placed his finger Oh the supra orbitsl
nerve which is just above the eye, and
pressure on which causes intense pain.
The doctor pressed IT again and again in
way that to Il person awake would have
caused pain almost sufficient to drive
him crazy, but not muscle Of Fronts s
body moved After all these tests and
some othors, most careful examination
was made of the patient. His temporal
, ture was normal. His pulse was normal
and strong and healthy; as strong and
healthy as was the pulse of any man in
; the room.
ellis case, said the doctor, is a re-
, mark able ore. "1here have been much
longer sleeps than his. but they are rare.
! Usually the sleeps last only few hours,
though sleeps Of three, four, five or eight
< days are not unusual"
eff he does recover tomorrow, will he
remember what has happenedP
"It is posi- BILE, think. that he may
remember some things, but it is altogeth-
, er likely that he will not. Though he
l may be conscious any remembrance that
he has of what has taken place around
, him will be so vague that it will be
hardly worthy Of the name. 1t is more
likely that he will begin exactly where
he was when he went to sleep and what
has happened since will be closed book
to him. 1t will be just the same as il it
never happened. He will simply have
lost twenty-five days or more of his life. F."
Not the least interesting thing about
Pronts's case is the fact that although in