Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-29
RARE PHENOMENA
SHOWN PHYSICIANS
Medical Men View Strange
Physiological and Men
tai Experiments.
Continued From First Page.)

any position in which they are placed,
however uncomfortable.
TWO years ago physicians at st. Eliz-
abeths began experimenting with a
method reported from other hospitals
by which catalonia victims were brought
out OF their stuporS almost n1iraculouSly
by the inhalation of a mixture of car
pom dioxide and oxygen, SO that they
became practically normal for from two
minutes to half an hour The patients
would begin to talk and answer CUES
lions nationally. 1t was like calling
them back from the grave. But always
they relapsed into the stupor again
repeated treatments had the same eff
1ect, but there was no permanent i'm
provement.
Curative Suggestions Given.
Until the st. Elizabeth's physicians
went to work on the problem the
longest recovery had been for a half
hour. Repeated experiments resulted
in a method of which the carbon
dioxide-oxygen inhalation in modified
form remains the base. This is sup
plemented from the moment the patient
begins to talk IS the mask is removed,
by psychic treatment closely akin to
hypnotism, although technically diff
ferent. Curative suggestions are given
by the physician and continued as long
as there seems any hope of cure. In
addition to this the patient is given in
jections of typhoid vaccine, or some
similar substance which will raise a
fever, because of previous observations
that dementia pracox patients seem
somewhat benefited when given the
malaria treatment now used for the
cure of another hitherto uncurable
mental disease, paresis. Then, as the
cure seems to be taking effect, is start
ed program of re-education.
Three patients, 1t was announced.
have been able to leave the hospital,
apparently normal. The longest re-
covery has been out of the hospital for
nearly two years. with no signs of a
relapse. One woman, quite intelligent
70 start with, is supporting successfully
three children and an older member of
her family. The others appear to be
making their way In the world success
fully.
Two Quick Changes Cited
Startling changes were pictured by
DR.. Karl Langenstrass, who reported
the treatment, almost from the moment
the gas mask is removed. Thus young
man who had lain in a catatonic stupor
for 10 years within a few minutes was
reading. apparently intelligently,
newspaper telling Of the latest happen
tngS Of the world from which he had
been removed almost as far as If he
had lain in his grave. A woman who
for years had been in a Stupor and
kept alive by forced feeding shortly
after the gas mask was removed was
eating with evident enjoyment a good
meal and shortly afterwards was help
ing feed another patient in the same
sort of stupor from which she had just
emerged.
The time is too short and the patients
too few, it was explained to claim a
permanent cure, but the indications are
that by a skillful combination of physi-
cal and psychic treatment a great step
has been made toward the conquest of
one of the most mysterious of all
human diseases. The method, DR..
Langenstrass explained, also has in
volved a considerable change, In the
manner Of administering the gas. At
the start the mixture contains only S
per cent Of carbon dioxide which
gradually is increased to IS per cent.
Strange cases of involuntary human
behavior due to LESSONS of some sort in
the nerve tracts leading from the motor
control area of the brain to the mus
cles--which shed light on the basic
principles Of an expression Of human
emotions-Were shown by DR.. Walter
Freeman.
One old gentleman has been at the
hospital for nearly IS years, following