Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10
LIVING CORPSES"
RETURN TO SANITY
Catalonia Victims Are Reused
From Stupor by Oxygen
Inhalation.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.


st. Elizabeth's Hospital here.
The patients are victims of catalonia,
a type of insanity characterized by
progressive deterioration which ends in
q Stupor where there are few evidences
of conscious life. This condition may
last until death intervenes.
In the present experiments, the
patient is made to inhale for from
three to five minutes concentration
of IS per cent pure oxygen and per
cent carbon dioxide. the latter merely
to stimulate respiration. The results
according to ST. Elizabeth doctors VINO
have Witnessed them, are little snort
of miraculous and in q less scientlnc
age might have been described as literal
resurrections of the dead.
Patient Loses PalIOr.
First the patient begins to lose the
death like pallor which is characters
tic of the malady The cheeks take on
the rosy tint of hsalth. If the oxygen
is administered in too heavy a dose
there may come even an apoplecuc
appearance, Then the catatonic be-
gins TO move voluntarily, sits up In
Way weirdly suggestive of corpse COM
ing 10 life, looks about him, and begins
ia talk hilariously and incoherently,
like q drunken man.
rhis state only lasts for one or two
minutes. 1t is q sort OF psychic gate
way through which the patient passes
from the state OF simulated DEAN 70
life and the almost complete use OF
his faculties He talks voluntarily,
answers questions relevantly. acts IKE
a normal human being, but Is aware VI
the lapse between this and his norman
consciousness. All.
one Of the latest subjects OF TINS
experiment was World war veteran
who came to st. ElIzabeths III SO ue
perforated a condition that the nospltAa
haS heen unable to obtain any record
NJ his past. Answering questions, ne
save the story of his early lie, the
names of his parents and members OF
his family, the date OF his enlistment
his transfers in the Army, all tn hoSpl-
tals he had been in, and his expert
ences up to the time he came 10 Tue
Government hospital. what had nap
pened while he was IN the ca.au n1ate
state was, however, not complete
blank to him. The information was
brought out in considerable detail
Afterward 1t was checked up ana
found entirely correct.
Not = Cure for Catalonia
This state Of normal consciousness
lasts from few minutes TO nam hour'
Then the effect Of the oxygen begins 10
wear OF and the patient relapses into
his former catatonic condition from
which no stimulus seems capable OF
rousinR him. The oxygen treatment,
it Is emphasized, is not Q cure Tor
catalonia since its effect cannot be
lasting, but 1t may bring out valuable
information on the nature OF the
phenomena Of human consciousness.
just what happens the doctors 90 not
know. They now are checking on q
plausible bio-chemical theory. TINS
dependS ON the assumption that the
cause of catalonia lies In the cells OF
The nfst step in the reasoning is
that the blood stream carries to the
brain q greatly increased supply OF
oxygen. But the amount of oxygen
obtained from normal breathing Is
enough to supply the needs OF the
ordinary brain and keep up the
phenomenon OF consciousness. Con-
SeQuently 1t Is reasoned, there must be
some abnormality in the structure of
the catatonic. brain which makes 1t
unable to utilize oxygen.
The chemical element in the human
body with which oxygen has the great
est afhnity Is iron. This leads to the
theory that the catatonic's brain may
be deficient In iron atoms and conse-
quently unable to attract and hold
enough oxygen to function normally
But with the concentrated dose OF
oxygen carried to the brain, the iron
element is forced to take on an extra
load Of oxygen. SO the brain has, for
q brief time q requisite supply. The
overloaded iron element, however, can
not hold its extra burden and as soon
as 1t throws 1t of, the catatonic re-
lapses into his former condition.
Aviators ascending to very high aiti-
tudes where there Is deficiency OF
oxygen have described state Of Semi
consciousness passing into complete UNI
consciousness from which they were
reused after falling into lower levels
where there was a Sufhcient oxygen sup
ply. In both cases, it is possible, the
oxygen-iron balance is upset.
Doctors Follow Up Clue.
Following up this clue, the st. Eliza
beth'S doctors are examining sections
Of large number of brains of victims
Of catalonia, who have died at the
hospital, TO determine the iron con-
tent, Thus far they have found q
against this, they have examined Sec
tons Of brains of maniacS. victims of
q disease whose manifestations are al
most exactly the opposite those of cata-
tonia, being characterized by extreme
excitement, constant motion and volubil-
ity. These brains have shown, as was
expected, an excess of iron. The data
however. still is far too scanty for a
DEFINITE pronouncement as to the causes
of these two maladies
Even II the theory should prove cor
rect, st. Elizabeth's doctors point out
they still would be far from a cure
They know no way to increase the iron
content of the brain cells. Keeping O
patient under the continuous influence
81 concentrated oxygen would be i'm.
practical. The experiments seem tt
show, however, that catalonia may bt
an organic disease with q definite
physical basis.
Hitherto 1t has been classed as one
Of the forms of dementia praecox Of
schizophrenia.. It usually manifest
itself in adolescence or early adults
Especially precocious boys and girls hav,
been thought especially susceptible, al
though this may not be sustained b!
statistics. 1t is first manifested b.
extreme depression and withdrawal from
activity. States of stupor and grea
excitement may alternate for a time
Eventually the Stupor becomes pro
nounced and continuous. The bod,
takes on the appearance of death. Th
muscles are rigid. Breathing is SLOW
and the heart beats feebly. Nothing car
arouse the patient, who apparently is a
1nsenSible as dead man to such stimuli
rs pain. He becomes absolutely helpless
Return to Childhood.
This has been explained as an un
conscious withdrawal from the trouble
and responsibilities of life, the patien
seeking to return to the comfort ant
happiness Of early childhood when Their,
were no problems to be faced ant
gradually progressing beyond this t
the stage of before birth with its un
eonsciOIISne6S The determination of 1