The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-12-13
GIRL HAS TWELVE SELVES.
Each Self Is Entirely Different from
the Others-Strange Freak.

the Others-Strange Freak.
Atlanta Constitution.
Thanks to a freak of nature, of which
hapless English girl is the victim, we get
such a glimpse into the mysteries Of the
human mind as, perhaps, was never OBJ
tanned before.
Every one of high-strung temperament
has felt the power of moods. which seem
to transform the character, making of an
individual at say 10 o'clock in the evening
quite a different person from that same
individual at 10 o'clock the following morn
ing But through some strange lack of
connecting links between moods, so to
speak. young woman now under medical
observation in England has had thrust
upon her the distinction of having twelve
wholly different selves, most OF them un-
acquainted with each other, and each hav
ing individual diseases, accomplishments,
virtues and faults.
For obvious reasons the girls name can
not be given, but the case is vouched for by
DR.. Albert Wilson, British specialist in
mental diseases, whose written account Of
his observations will appear almost immedi-
ately in the British Journal of Mental
Science, a publication OF the highest stand
ing.
The young woman comes from a well-to-
do Birmingham family. whose other men,
| bers are as sound and healthy any one
She also was normal, bright and intelli-
| gent until in 1896, when she was twelve
| years old, when she had an attack Of in
| fuenza followed by six weeks of delirium,
| fits and partial paralysis-some kind of in
| ternal revolution so violent, in fact, that
| asunder, for thereafter she was continually
being elected from one Of her selves and
| thrust into another.
The first new self apparently was three
years DID, In this phase the girl could talk
her baby talk. She knew many words, but
didn't know what most Of them meant.
Asked to find her nose. she might point to
her ear, or asked to choose white from an
assortment of colors, she would select
black. This self soon learned to write,
| but the writing was done backwards. be-
ginning with the tail of the last letter of a
word. In this state she was dimly con-
scious of her first self. whom she said she
hated because everybody loved that other
person, but nobody liked her. l. e., the pres
/ ent personality.
| Suddenly she would change back into her
normal self. in which form she would re-
| member nothing of the second personality.
| Then she would, without warning, change
back again. continuing n the second life ex-
| nothing of what had passed in the interval.
| In the first stage she was very modest and
| well behaved. In the second she was
| rowdy.
Self No. turned up without warning in
July, 1895, and announced herself as "Old
Nick" a name that proved appropriate for
| "Old Nick had nasty temper, although
this personality had better health than any
of the others. After a short visit "Old
Nick disappeared fol. year. and then
| came to stay for twelve weeks. In this
stage the girl was taken to the seaside to
a place with which she was perfectly IA
miliar, but "Old Nick" proved a complete
glimpse of some particularly familiar land
mark would shake her out of the "Old
Nick state into some other personality.
"Old Nick's" remarkable health is indi.
Gated by the fact that once when the gir
was Ill in bed and in an imbecile state
after a fall from her chair at dinner. she
suddenly arose, apparently In excellent
health, asked why she was in bed, and
wanted TO go on with that dinner where she
had left of. This took place in April, 1897
whereas the dinner had been begun in Sep
TENDER of the year before.
Self No. was a deaf mute. who appeared
four or five times and stayed only few
DAYS at a time. In this stage the girl mad,
her thoughts known by writing.
In another stage the girl insisted that sh,
was only three days old and in some way.
4 acted aCCSFQlnSiy- II appears however
that she could write in the ordinary way
but IL asked 10 spell verbally the wore
| came out backward Another self was
maniac and was suffering from fear o.
snakes and tortured with a headache.
One of the most interesting of the per
. | sonalities was Pretty Dear" who was gen
! | tle modest and refined. and more inteIigen
than the others. although she had to Learn
! | all over again to read and write. She ever
! learned French, although none OF the othe
| selves were ever able TO understand French
4 4 N
late and has enabled the girl to earn he
own livelihood at the Rain Hill asylum