THE RE-EDUCATION OF THE ADULT BRAIN. 457 



any means that could be thought of ; and from that time forth, except- 

 ing a few short intervals, she remained in a state of constant sleep till 

 the beginning of August. Her condition was now singular enough. 

 She still made an attempt to get out of bed when she required to go 

 to stool ; when food was presented to her lips with a spoon, she readily 

 took it into her mouth and swallowed it, and in this way she was fed 

 as long as the torpor continued ; when she had taken what appeared a 

 sufficiency, she closed her teeth as a sign she was satisfied, and if im- 

 portuned to take more, turned away her mouth from the spoon. She 

 appeared also to distinguish different tastes, for she gave an evident 

 preference to some sorts of food and obstinately refused others. She 

 sometimes even, to all appearance, judged of the nature of the food or 

 medicines offered to her, by the sense of smelling ; and, when the latter 

 were such as possessed a strong odor, she would often close her mouth 

 in a determined manner before they touched her lips. 



By this time the startings in her sleep had left her ; and although 

 the expressions she uttered when in that state were, with some slight 

 additions, nearly the same as formerly, yet her manner of speaking was 

 now indicative of satisfaction and not of fright. She often even sang 

 to a simple but cheerful air nearly the same words which she used for- 

 merly to cry out with every appearance of the greatest terror. 



The torpor continued nearly in the same degree till the end of July, 

 with occasional intervals of waking, which happened at uncertain 

 periods, but generally at the distance of a few days from each other, 

 and were occasioned by pain experienced in some part of her body. 

 The first of these took place after she had been ten days in a continued 

 state of torpor ; it was caused by severe griping from laxative medi- 

 cine. She awakened in great suffering, crying out, " Pain ! pain ! " 

 " Die ! die ! " and placing her hands on the abdomen. She was 

 relieved by means of warm fomentations ; but she, notwithstanding, 

 kept awake for some hours after, during which time she answered no 

 question, in however loud a voice it was put to her, and recognized 

 nobody except one old acquaintance, whom she had not seen for more 

 than twelve months. She looked steadfastly in this person's face for 

 a few seconds, apparently occupied in trying to remember his name, 

 which at length she found out and repeated again and again, at the 

 same time taking him by the hand as if overjoyed to see him ; but 

 when questioned regarding him, she answered only by calling out his 

 name, which she continued to repeat for some time after she had fallen 

 asleep, in addition to what she usually said. In the course of the next 

 eight days she was twice roused from her sleep by a similar cause, but 

 not so completely ; the same individual was still the only person she 

 knew ; among others she did not recognize even her own husband, 

 who happened then to be in Scotland. 



The next interval of waking took place three or four days after- 

 ward ; it appeared to be occasioned by pain in the head. She cried 



