The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-22

the first words he had spoken aloud since the day he came to the hospital, unconscious, five months before. At the moment Sergeant Van hove into sight from the diet kitchen. He had plate of milk toast in his hands "a plate that the boy in the bed fol- lowed with an interested gaze. Beg pardon, sir,' Sergeant Van, sa- luting, but I must ask you to wuit until my patient has had his breakfast before you talk with him.'' The astonished captain allowed him self to be waved from the bed to the nearest chair and watched in amaze ment the boy devour the toast His hands shook so, from shell shock that he could scarcely manage it, but he was propped up and fed himself, with every appearance of keen interest in his food The day before the boy had not been able to swallow anything but liquid food, and he couldn't have held the spoon.
 The captain becl1oned Sergeant Van to the end of the ward.
 Did you do that?" he demanded
 Yes, sir admitted Sergeant Van.
 How in blue blazes-"began the captain, and paused for lack of words.
 I'll show you, if you like, sir
 T do like" ordered the captain
 So Van showed him. Though the doc tor couldn't quite make it out, at that just what Van did He stroked their heads little and massaged their threats bit, and all the time he talked to them in the quietest, most harmless sounding voice in the world. But 10 minutes after he began the boys were asleep. naturally, without tremor in the bodies that had been nerve-wrackei for weeks The doctor looked at Ser geant Van helplessly and left shaking his head.
 Two weeks later Sergeant Van held a clinic before major general of the medi- cal corps and several majors and still more captains and lieutenants-all men of reputation i'll America as doctors Two of his subjects were the two men over whom he worked that first morning. They came into the clinic, clear-eyed and straight and ruddy as athletes from the field. They passed tests that the doctors couldn't pass themselves. One of them, supporting himself by his shoulders and his ankles between two tables, held the weight of four of the huskiest of the doctors standing on him at the same time. Another subject was a huge negro who had been brought to the hospital the day before and whom Sergeant Van had never seen. Four hypodermics had not been able to quiet him, and they brought him in in a straight jacket. 1t looh v all Just seven minutes 10 nave him asleep.
 Since then, the shell-shock cases have been in Vans hands. The doctors shake their heads and wonder. An American rFofessor, well known for his psycholog- ical research work shakes his head, too, and has nothing to say.
 In the camp and the hospital they call him the "hypnotist.'' Perhaps he is Under the management of the Young Mems Christian association he has given great many performances that set the men into gales of laughter-regular slap p-stick feats of mesmeric ability. He laughs when you try to get him to explain them. ''Oh, I don't know he will say. But he grows serious over his she'll shock cases.
 Tt isn't that I hypnotize them, at all," he will tell you. T just tell them that they are bigger than their nerves, and that they can control that if they really want to. And show them how. They believe it because I tell them 1t is so, and then, you see, they are we'll"
 But the doctors continue to wonder and to say that Van has discovered the first really successful treatment for she'll shock.