The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-25
A REMARKABLE SYMPATHY
AFFECTING TWIN SISTERS
Two Young Ladies Suffering from Acute
Mania Attracting Physicians Of
the State.
the State.
BOTH NOW IN STAUNTON HOSPITAL

, the very opposite. Suddenly sl,a became
terribly excited, talking incessanty un1
lncoherently. making wild gesticulations,
Using protane and obscene lang lage. WIS
noisy, and tore up her clothes and
books-everything in her reach that Vas
breakable. She became unma2ageaple
and had to be forcibly controlled by her
friends.
Her condition was unaccountale. TO her
physician and friends. and hoptns it
might be acute delirium, resulting from
some unknown physical trouble. they UNI
dcrtook to treat and control her at home.
They kept this plan up about !: week.
and then tclegraphed her sister. VINO was
visiting friends in Portsmouth, Va, TO
ccme and help nurse her. AS soon a.;
she behold her sister she becams violent
ly insane. and in precisely the same way.
We sent and brought the two to this
hospital They were received a de-
plorable condition, both exactly alike,
with all the symptoms of violent acute
mania, as related in the first case. rs
a precautionary measure, they were
placed in different wards, and had no
intercourse with each other. Neither
knew the other was here. They con-
tinued to be violent for some time; ana
a curious and most remarkable psyche
logical fact is the similarity of tbs pro-
gress of their attacks. How far such
conditions were due to the usual course
of such individual cases. or to The IN
accountable sympathy existing between
them. are matters for conjecture J.:
they had been entirely distinct 1ndiVid-
,lals. of different families. one might
think this condition not SO St..anEa. as
such cases run very much the same
course-differing. however. somewhat IN
intensity. and also in duration. owing 10
the direct and indirect heredlty ana Sc
verify of the existing cause III 2acn case.
and their susceptibility to mental shocR.
thus, in the second one OF these sisters
without however. any 1nherllen pieuis-
pcsition. we might say her attack vas
due to the shock of beholding her sister
in such a deplorable condition. But mere
is presented mystery-Why, she, 100,
should have exactly the same form OF
insanity, acute mania in violent lcTln
Now comes the most wonderful SIM
i,aritv of these cases and that when
makes them peculiar In thelr renafkapie
s-,mpathy AS related above, they were
placcd in different wards. and Kept en-
tirely separate unconscious of each oth-
er.s presence in the same building. or even
in the hospital. After awhile one gol
Better and it was observed that the
other was better at the same time. Both
continued to improve. and both became
more rational. After awhile ooth re-
lspsed at the same time. This continued
TO. awhile and at one time great nope
was entertained of their recovery. IheN
were allowed to visit each other. at one
tine. and recognized one another. but
rover realized their situation or became
rational enough to object to their envl-
ronment.
Subsequently they both relapsed and
continued violent. until finally both be-
came demented about the same time, ann
beth have continued since in this con-
diton.
Thus have related al exact history of
tire above cases. without going into their
physiological and psychological condl-
ton.