The Washington times., 1901-08-08
HYPN0TISM And HICCOUGHS
Local Physicians Unable to Cure
Loretta kemp's Affiiction.
The Patient Yields to the Strange
influence but Spasms Continue I'm
abnted - Previously, Had n Three
Months Attack-DOctOrs Puzzled


For nearly sixty hours pretty seven
teen-year-old girl at the Casualty Hos
pital has been suffering from case of
continued hiccoughs, and the combined
efforts of .he best physicians in the city
have been exerted without avail to stop
the convulsions. She is Miss Loretta
Kemp. the daughter of Ezra Kemp. car
penter. who lives at Fairmont Heights. a
settlement near Benning station
On Monday evening Miss Kemp began
htccoughing. The convulsions were slight
at first. Gradually she lost control of her
muscles, and the hiccough increased All
Monday night she hiccoughed steadily
without break in the continued spasms.
and on Tuesday morning she was brought
into the city, and taken to the hospital.
where her case Immediately excited great
interest among the physicians OF the in
stitution and members of the medical pro-
fession generally in Washington.
After all known methods of treatment
in such eases had been tried. an eminent
physician, and a man who has had great
success through the use of hypnotism in
his practice, visited the hospital on Mon
day afternoon and endeayOred to effect
cure by hypnotic suggestion. The at
tempt was a failure, so far as any re-
lief was concerned, and throughout the
treatment Miss Kemp continued to hic-
cough as she had since first attacked.
The power of the doctor over the young
woman was complete. She responded al
most Immediately TO the influence Of the
physicians mind, and went into a trance.
While in this condition she would obey
the hypnotist- Her bodyswould remain In
whatever position placed. and her will
was completely subjective to that of the
doctor. yet she resisted every effort made
toward the. control of the commissions.
All the methods used by hypnotists were
exerted. She was told that she thought
she had the hiccoughs, but that as fact
she did not have them. To all such sug-
gestions the girl turned a deaf ear and
hiccoughed just the same.
When first taken to the hospital the
physicians administered cocaine, internal
ly Five drops of the powerful drug were
given to her every hour. but the medicine
might as well have been water, for ali
effect which it had. Chloroform was then
rcsorted to. and so long as the girl could
be kept under the influence of the opiate
the hiccoughs ceased, but immedia. ,Iy
upon recovering from its influence the
spasms returned. Morphine in large
quantities, finally caused the hiccoughfng
to stop at o'clock Monday evening In
der the soothing and stupefying influence
of the drug she was able to sleep until
O'Clock yesterday morning. Upon awak-
ening the hiccoughing began again. An
esthetics We're again administered with
considerable success. and temporarily
during the day the spasms ceased for
few minutes at a time, only to return
with, apparently greater force toward
evening.
Last night the hiccoughs were inces-
SAINT although DR.. Tobias the resident
thought that her condition was
slightly improved. The sound of the hic-
coughs could be heard over almost the en-
tire building. For hours there was no
of the convulsions.
Miss Kemp was suffering considerable
pain in her chest. due to the violence of
the commissions. last night. Her throat |
s becoming raw, and her head aches from |
the constant JaTing occasioned by the |
7pasms- Occasionally she becomes hys-
-erical.- Between the conYulsions she re- |
ptats over and over, "Oh. my oh. my"
Longer sentences are an impossibility.
This is not the first time that Miss Kemp |
has suffered protracted attack of hic- |
coughs. Several Tnonths ago she was |
-reated AT the Casualty Hospital for Il |
much more severe attack. which con-
hree months This. so far as local ply |
'icians know. is the record. 1t is GER |
ainty the longest continued case which /
las come to the attention of physicians
n this city a well-known physician
stated last night that case of hic-
coughs lasting as long as the case with
Miss Kemp has not occurred here for
several years.
Hiceoughs are caused by a nervous af-
ection of the diaphragm. Cases lasting
without interruption as long as several
lays are dangerous, and patient suffer
ng from such an attack might easily die.