In her normal condition she could
read and write and speak fluently, and with comparative
correctness. In the altered mental condition following the attack
she loses all memory for ordinary events, though she can recall
things that have taken place during previous attacks. So complete
is this alteration of memory, that at first she was unable to
remember her own name or to identify herself or her parents. By
patient training in the abnormal condition she has been enabled
to give things their names, though she still preserves a
baby-fashion of pronouncing. She sometimes remains in the
abnormal condition for days together and the change to her real
self takes place suddenly, without exciting surprise or dismay,
and she forthwith resumes possession of her memory for events of
her ordinary life. During the last month or two she appears to
have entered on a new phase, for after a mental blank of a
fortnight's duration she awakened completely oblivious of all
that had happened since June, 1895, and she alludes to events
that took place just anterior to that date as though they were of
recent occurrence; in fact she is living mentally in July, 1895.
These cases, though rare, are of course not infrequently met
with, and they have been carefully studied, especially in France,
where women appear more prone to neurotic manifestations.
Pages:
1754
1755
1756
1757
1758
1759
1760
1761
1762
1763
1764
1765
1766
1767
1768
1769
1770
1771
1772
1773
1774
1775
1776
1777
1778