The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-02-04
STRANGE CASE OF HYsTEHIA.
The Running Away Mania and Dou.
bic Personality Phenomenon.

bic Personality Phenomenon.
Professor Pierre Janet, in his
book, The Major symptoms OF Hy-
steria," describes number Of re-
markable cases of what he calls
"fugue," or the hysterical mania that
impels people to run away. One of
these is the case OF boy OF seven
teen, living in Paris. who suddenly
lost all memory OF his previous life
and his home. He left Paris. and
wandered about the provinces, at last
falling in with an old china-menGer,
whom he accompanied and for
whom he worked. The restoration
OF his memory is described by Pro.
fessor Janet as follows:
One evening an unlocked for
event took place again. The days
work had been a success: the two
companions had earned seven francs.
The old china-mender stopped and
said to r.: My boy, we deserve a
good supper, and we will keep to-
days feast; 1t is the fifteenth of Au-
gust On hearing this. the boy heed
lessly said: The fifteenth of Au-
gust? Why, it is the feast of the vir-
gin Mary, the anniversary of my
mothers name-day.' He had scarce
ly uttered these words when he ap-
peared to be quite changed He
looked all around him with astonish-
ment, and turning to his companion,
said: But who are you, and what
am | doing here with your"
The poor man was amazed and was
quite unable to make the boy un-
derstand the situation; the latter
still believed himself in Paris and
had lost all memory of the preced-
ing months. They had to go to the
village mayors, where with great diff
ticulty the matter was made more
or less clear The mayor telegraphed
to Paris. and the prodigal child was
sent back home"
One of the most remarkable cases
of double personality on record is de-
scribed by Professor Pierre Janet in
The Major Symptoms of Hysteria."
line, first came to him about twenty
years ago. For several months she
had not taken any food and was on
the verge of starvation. After try
ing other methods of treatment she
was hypnotized, and a secondary
state was induced, which. although
apparently artificial, differed alto
gether from the state in which she
had been on her entrance to the
hospital. She Immediately began to
eat, and soon regained her strength.
When she seemed on the road to re-
covery it was thought necessary to
awaken her from the hypnotic state.
which was considered artificial. I'M
mediately the patient fell back into
her preceding state. She was again
unable to eat and in order to save
her life it was necessary TO reinduce
the hypnotic state.
The same experience was repeated
over and over again, and as Pro-
fessor Janet explains. things contin-
ued in this way for fifteen years.
iNSlllG HOuiu COllO W me III vi dGl
to be put to sleep, enter into her alert
state. and then go away very happy.
with complete activity, sensibility
and memory. She would remain thus
for few weeks; then either slowly
or suddenly, in consequence of some
emotion, fall back into her numbness.
return to the state we had consider
ed primitive and natural, with the
same visceral disturbances. The
forgetfulness was extended over
whole years, and disturbed her exis-
tence completely. She would has
ten to come to me to get herself
transformed again. Things contin-
ued thus for years together. till the
death OF the poor girl who succumb-
ed to pulmonary tuberculosis.