Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-04-23

DR.. JEKYLL AND MR.. HYDE.
A London Doctors stra- re Patient-Two
Girls In One.

A London Doctors stra- re Patient-Two
Girls In One.
A young girl who is two different
persons in one body has just been ex-
hibited by DR.. Albert Wilson to the
members of the Clinical society Of Lon
don, and this most interesting case OF
dual states Of consciousness is exciting
much attention in the medical world.
The girl is AZ years of age, and
there was nothing unusual about her
until in 1895 she was attacked by infu-
enza. 1t was a very bad attack, accom-
panied by decisions and Authorizations,
and at such times she manifested great
strength.
AS the mania passed off her mental
condition was found TO have changed,
and among other things she gave fresh
names to those around, calling her IA
Their Tom, her mother Mary Ann, one
doctor Jim and another Sam. Physically
she improved. The sight got much bet
ter, but she remained paralyzed in the
legs. After the fifth week the curious
condition Of dual personality began to
show itself. While sitting in bed play
ing with her dolls she would say, 1T ia
coming" and push all the toys to one
side. Then there would be a shaking of
the legs then she would turn a somer-
sault and sit up in a new personality,
generally calling out Hello" as if
she had just arrived. In this abnormal
condition she called those around by the
nicknames she had given them at the
time Of the mania, which suggested
some connection between this abnormal
state and the mania which had preceded
it, During this abnormal, or B, stage
she talked baby talk, clipping words
and not recognizing the names Of things.
This stage lasted from 10 TO 90 minutes,
and when she recovered she was dazed
for two or three minutes, when she
would begin playing with her dolls at
the point where she had left off. Thus,
as DR.. Wilson said, THE A, or normal,
stage is continuous, and the B, or alb
normal, stage is also continuous. But A
knows nothing of b, and b knows moth
ing Of 4"
After two or three months the girl
was almost as frequently the girl b as
she was the girl A. Up to the present
time, when she is in her normal or A
state. she knows absolutely nothing of
what occurs in the abn ormal conditions.
She is a good and honest girl as a,
while in her B condition she has stolen
things. One day, outside shop, she took
an apple. On seeing policeman she
put it back again. Last January she be-
came quite blind and imbecile and had
to be guided by sound and touch. But
q little later on she improved much in
health, so that she could walk and
could see things at a distance of about
three inches During the abnormal state
there was a certain protrusion Of the
eyeballs, which, however, disappeared
when she returned to the normal mental
state. The hospital mentions "a parucu-
larly curious symptom Of the case. Al
though in the normal she was not known
to have any knowledge of drawing, she
made some rather clever memory sketch
es while in the b state, clearly from re-
membered fashion plates, and some Of
these she drew when stone blind and
when a book was placed between her
eyes and the paper; so that the inhu-
enza which treated her so wicKedly
seems at least 10 have taught the poor
child TO draw. London Mail