The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-03-05

France 26 per cent of complete and 20
per cent OF partial cures have been on
cially recorded. In only 10 per cent OF
cases was there no marked improve
ment.
Hundreds of different sorts Of cases
have been successfully treated by the
hypnotist-doctors They varied from
complete obliteration or lack OF memory
of the past to partial lack OF memory of
the scenes occasioning and following the
shock and severe headaches to mental
conditions changing from slight depres-
sion to complete and speechless stupor.
Sometimes In the case of severe stupor
all that could be obtained from the
patient we're remarks as to the shelling
as II his condition we're due to his con-
centration of mind on the events which
had unnerved him.
Did you see that one! 9
1t went up on top! They
keep going overt" were some of the re-
marks the patients would constantly
make, sometimes DULY mumbling and
sometimes screaming out in terror.
One patient, who at times could be
made to realize that he was in
a hospital, persisted for the most part in
imagining he was In the trenches and
would call out constantly. Get rifles
quick"
Another patient, who was suffering
from inattention, would speak sanely for
a few moments and then his thoughts
would wander to the trenches. His an
swers to questions we're absurd. Asked
what was his age he replied: That one
passed pretty close TO my left ear"
When the hypnotist-physician endeavored
to keep this patients mind on one sub
ject too long the patient would get
IA
hostility, would rush about the room
carrying and welding an imaginary
rife.
, In most of the cases when an attempt
was made to revive the dead memory be-
fore the patient was hypnotized the eff
fort was attended by outbursts of emo
ton, sometimes of frenzy but most often
Of fear. In all cases the hypnotist-doctor
endeavored to revive the memory with
turn even in dreams. When these
patients were urged to think OF their for
gotten experiences their headaches be-
came so severe as to prevent them from
trying further.
After hypnotic treatment that some
times continued for as long as a month
a complete change came over the
attitude of the patient. His dependency
vanished, he was delighted to recover his
speech, hearing, memory or sight as the
case may have been. All of the follow
ing cases are bona fde ones reported in
the Lancet and other medical journals
A private was found wandering in a
village behind the firing line clad only in
his shirt and socks. Even under the
most sympathetic questioning he could
not give hts name, regiment or number.
As for his age he said 1t was between
eighteen and thirty-two. When he was
called by various Christian names he said
that none sounded familiar to him.
He was able to remember that two
men found him as he was sttollihg on
the outskirts OF village and could tell
about everything that had happened to
him since that time. There was moth
ing on him by which he could be fdenti-
fed. His past was a complete blank.
Even his childhood could not be brought
back to his memory.
His condition depressed him consider
ably. He wanted badly to recover his
memory and said that II he did not IL
would be a great worry to hfs people"
AS far as the doctors could and out he
did not complain OF aches and pains, but
only OF numDneSs IN mis- mead. Both his
hands and feet shook as he lay on a
stretcher but his eyesight was normal.
He had slept fairly well after he was
brought into the hospital, but com
planned one morning of nightmare he
had gone through. He thought he was
In the trenches throwing bombs and that
the Germans had thrown one which hit
him in the back of the head.
When the physician hypnotfzed him
the first thing he did was to repeat his
dream. Then his thoughts went back to
his mother, living in a small house in
the country, near big town where they
make anchors and chains" He could
also remember working with his father
making hayricks. But 1t was only with
difficulty that the physicians could get
this information from him.
Then he remembered the names of the
village and the manufacturing towns
near by. Finally he remembered his own
name, regiment and number, but was
never sure of them. Then he told about
the bomb-throwing episode, which was
not dream at all, but reality.
The doctor then told him that when
he awoke he would remember all that
he had told the doctor perfectly But
he did not. He remembered only i'm
perfectly. After he was hypnotized again
his memory became much clearer and on
a third treatment he recovered his mem
DRY cOmDletaly his despondennv disan-