The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1897-04-06
MIRROR SPEECH.
NEW MENTAL MALADY WHICH
ATTACKS SOME PEOPLE.
A Chicago Society woman's Attic
tion -Similar Cases Noted Else
where-People Who Talk, See
and Write Backward.
STRIKING aud severe cas-,

it's most persistent form woman in
the doctors clientele.
The patient is decidedly we'll known
and popular society leader on the south
side: She is nervous and delicate
little woman. and has for some
years been under the casual care of
her physician. During the fall she
was stricken with o severe case of
brain fever and prostration, from which
she had apparently thoroughly recov-
cred at least month ago. While con-
valescent her family and immediate
friends noticed that her speech, when
ever she was permitted to talk, was
strangely incoherent and meaningless
They attributed the fault to her weak
physical condition. In the couree of
few days 1t grew perceptibly worse.
and the physicians attention was called
to it. Her speech now became utterly
wild and beyond comprehension. She
spoke no particular words, but seemed
simply to artioulate empty and non
connected syllables. The physician pro-
nounced ID to be case of mirror
speech. an odd affection of the brain,
in which there occurs a complete re-
versal of the order of syllables in
sentence, just as the order of series
of objects from RIGHT to left is reversed
by reflection in mirror.
This curious brain trouble is far
more prevalent and widespread than
Is evident to n casual observer. Al
though there are few cases In which il
becomes persistent malady cf some
days duration, it lasts generally but a
few hours, sometimes but part of an
hour, and most frequently for few
moments, days apart 1t is due either
to extreme mental exhaustion or I'M
due mental excitement. 1t always
takes the form of the perversicn Of
the syllables Of word. Some minds
are particularly more susceptible to it
than others, and women rather than
men are subject to it. 1t is daily
recurrence in listening to the ordinary
remarks of an extremely tired woman
to note how frequently she makes in
comprehensive utterunces, totally I'M
known to herself. She thinks the cor
rect thought in her brain, she knows
what she wants to say, but her tongue
refuses to pronounce the words in the
ordinary intelligent order.
This same perversion occurs in the
utterances of self conscious orator
making his maiden speech. and is
sometimes far more pitiful than curl
Gus, when he struggles on, uncon-
scious of the ridiculous impression
which he Is making.
Mirror speech is an abnormality
which is exactly similar in principal
to the so.called mirror writing"
The latter is pathological symptom,
which manifests itself in the penman.
ship of the patient, who is unable to
write from left to right, but only from
right to left, forming the letters and
sentences backward
In the case of boy recently noted
in North Adams, Mass, afflicted with
perverted visloD, the malady was per-
manent 1t was impossible to teach
him otherwise. His right hand was
guided over a line of copy in the
proper manner, but the moment his
hand is released he instantly changes
the pencil to his left hand and com
mences to write in the mirror fashion.
A peculiar feature OF the case is that
he has no difficulty in reading the
handwriting OF Others, although some
specialists pronounce his malady TO
be one of the optic nerve only.
Gases Of mirror writing have been
frequent, but the first case of genuine
chronic mirror speech was discovered
only three months ago by certain
DR.. Doyen of Paris. He was the first
rather to establish the phenomenon as
an actual mental disease.
The discovery occurred in an opera
ton performed on young girl twelve
years old, who had been trepanned
successfully, to relieve q severe cere.
bral abscess after inflammation OF the
ear. For some time after the opera.
ton aphasia, or inability to express
ideas in spoken language, was persist.
emit. However, gradually as her health
grew better the patient began to utter
sounds, which, although they were
uttered clearly and were perfectly
articulated, nevertheless we're Totally
incomprehensible For example, some
of her utterances we're similar to the
following: enlist do me to; me Jet
lone-a; kind.un how"
She would ejaculate this and SINH
lar phrases with great emphasis, and
was totally unaware OF her incoher.
ency. The inability of her attendant
and her friends to understand her
conversation made her extremely an.
cry. She attributed their amazing
lack of compr shension to stupidity,
and tried TO awaken their dormant
faculties by repeating over and over
again with injured vehemenoe her
jargon.
Finally it occurred TO one TO take
down in writing the syllablos and
phrases which she uttered. This was
done, whom, by this means, an unu.
sual discovery was made which formed
the key to the problem. The patient
was utteriDQ her sentences backward,
as we'll rs changing the order OF syl-
tables in word, and always with n
striking regularity IN misplaced or
der ana in form. The apparently
meaningless utterances quoted above,
when trausposed mean; DO listen to
me let me alone; how unkind."
This striians abnormality lasted
four or five weeks, when the misplaced
syilablcs gradually began TO ielI into