The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-23
TRICKS OF MEMORY.

Little Processes of Brain Go on Strike Word Blindness" and Word Deaf
 ness Result.
 What are causes of apparently healthy persons suddenly losing their identity?' was a question which a celebrated brain specialist dealt with recently in the hope that the results of his researches and his advice might prove of benefit to the public.
 The physician recalled some remark able cases of what are known as ''psy- chical changes which have recently come to his notice including the ex- perience of man a few days ago who entered the Record office, in Chancery Lane and announced to to an astonish- ed official that The did not know who he was as he had lost his memory" Another case was that of a young woman who wandered from her home at Clactonl to Finsbury, distance of 30 miles, and furnished to the police at the latter place name which she thought to be her father's." A telegram, how ever, sent to that address was returned unknown
 A third illustration of these curious psychological phenomena was that of. a clergyman who after withdrawing from his bank a substantial sum Of money with which to complete the purchase of piece of land, entered a tramway car. From that moment his mind became a blank. and he wandered 300 miles to a. large town, where with the money he bought a stationer's shop and erected a sign bearing the name of Brown
 After six weeks customer entered and, addressing the man behind the counter as .Mr. Brown" asked to be supplied with some small articles of stationery. The proprietor replied that his name was not Brown, but Bourne, and that he knew nothing about the business.
 "The man had suddenly awakened from his prolonged lapse of memory, added the physician.
 No less remarkable was the case of a London man who travelled to Leeds to fill a situation which he had been very anxious to obtain He had a brief and satisfactory interview with his employ CT, and then went to look for lodgings. The next thing the man remembered was being in train at Grantham on his way back to London.
 The strange feature of this case was that the unconscious had carefully and l accurately relabelled his luggage for ' the address he had previously occupied ! in London.
 "As matter of fact" explained the physician, those persons behave in quite rational way, although they are really unconscious all the time They spend money carefully, and eat and sleep with their customary regularity They are but partly mentally deficient. The brain is commonly regarded as a single organ. It is in reality a col lection of parts, different and distinct, but closely related to each other, and connected with every portion of the body by nerves. In nontechnical phraseology certain of these cerebral subdivisions become impaired where ases of lost, identity occur.
 ''In cases where the sight of printed word fails to revive memory, the dis sase is known as word blindness and instances when a word spoken is not ppreciated, but the same word written timulates the memory, are known as word deafness, The latter patients re unable to utter sound and yet can write very intelligent letters. The uditory word center of the brain re- uses to act.
 Again, there are cases where eople are not capable of either speak lg or writing the words which they evertheless remember. Hence the rge number of lost persons who can ot furnish the authorities with their wn names.
 "Very common areAthe cases where ersons forget events that have just oc- rred and yet retain excellent inn essions of things that happened years go and impart knowlege which ac- ,ired in their childhood and had long
 zen forgotten One man who was pro- ssonally treated could not remember own name but could recite whole
 apters of the Bible.
 The development of many of these
 ses could be checked" proceeded the
 ctor, If their friends sought timely
 vice. Memory is regulated by the
 mount of attention which a person is
 le at time to give to the subject to be
 nenlbered. This power of attention
 greatly 5-ainished by disease. An
 nourished body implies an ill.,
 urishd brain. Malutrition is ire
 ent cause of brain failure and con
 bnent loss of identity
 Various fevers, influenza. and all
 is Of mental shocks and blows upon
 head may have these unfortunate
 |ults. Overwork, especially when ac-