188 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



lastly, he had many horses in his stables, and needed the money paid for 

 this horse, for a distinct purpose, which had been determined on before. 

 From his own testimony he had many blanks of memory while drinking, 

 and at this time had lost all recollection of passing events from the hour 

 of dinner, during which he drank freely, until next morning, when he 

 drank again and fell into another blank which lasted thirty-six hours. 

 Other testimony indicated a gradual increasing dullness and abstract- 

 edness of manner during this time ; also apparent disinclination to fix 

 his attention on any one thing long. The suit went against him, and 

 he soon after was brought to the asylum. In another case the presi- 

 dent of a bank, a man of wealth and irreproachable character, forged 

 a large check, put the money in his pocket, and the day after was 

 amazed to find the money and to account for it. In an investigation it 

 was proved that he suffered from these blanks of memory after drink- 

 ing wine freely ; that he had before done many unaccountable acts, ap- 

 parently fully conscious at the time, and yet afterward disclaimed all 

 memory of them, a fact which was supported by their motiveless char- 

 acter. This mental condition may be described as a loss of memory 

 and consciousness of present and passing events, that is concealed and 

 not apparent from a general study of the conduct ; or, in other words, 

 a state of the brain similar to somnambulism in respect to the uncon- 

 scious character of the acts, and all recollection of them. For the time 

 being the sufferer is a literal automaton, giving little or no evidence of 

 hisactual condition, and acting from impulses unknown, and motives 

 that leave no trace. 



The late Dr. Beard believed this state to be one of general lowered 

 brain-function, in which the cerebral activity is concentrated in some 

 limited region of the brain, and is largely suspended in the rest. He 

 also urged that the plane of consciousness was below the point of 

 remembering ; hence these cases were conscious at the time, but the 

 memory failed to record the impression. In confirmation of this, the 

 late Dr. Forbes Winslow recorded a case of a somnambulist who, while 

 walking about, set his night-dress on fire, and with excellent judgment 

 and coolness threw himself on the bed and extinguished the flames, 

 then resumed his walk, and awoke next morning with no memory of it, 

 and was greatly alarmed at the charred appearance of his dress. What- 

 ever the pathology may be, it is clear that this is a state of irresponsi- 

 bility, and for the time being a form of dementia and insanity, about 

 which there can be no question. Careful study of these cases for many 

 years has indicated the startling fact that they are very common in 

 inebriety ; also that in every case where alcohol is used to excess there 

 are histories of loss of memory and consciousness of acts committed 

 while using spirits. These conditions are almost infinite in variety 

 and complexity, and are considered mere freaks of memory by many 

 persons. Probably in a majority of cases in the early stages these 

 blanks of consciousness and memory are partial, and appear in the 



