Multiple Ego Several Persons in One. 941 



be a woman, menstruation is liable to cease. In general, the patient, 

 while in one of these states, repeats the actions that he performed when 

 in the same state before, and behaves and feels as he did then. But 

 they seldom have an}- clear recollection, in one of these states, of the 

 things done and felt while in the other. In this respect, however, there 

 is great difference in different cases. This style of insanity is by 

 Mandsley called alternating insanity. 



The phenomenon called double consciousness is in its effects similar 

 to that just described, although I think the causes may be very differ- 

 ent in different cases. Insane results might come from too little or too 

 great a stimulation, atrophy or hypertrophy, of the same brain cells 

 which, under normal conditions, furnish sane effects, or they might 

 come from the atroph}" or hypertrophy of a part onty, leaving the rest 

 normal, the result of which would be an unbalanced action. In such 

 cases there would be an imperfect memory on the part of the patient, 

 while in his normal condition, of things done in his abnormal, and vice 

 versa, because the same brain cells are more or less involved in both con- 

 ditions. But there is another condition of double consciousness in which 

 the acts are not unbalanced, extravagant or insane in either state, but 

 in which the memory of each is independent of that of the other state, 

 and things done in one are totally foreign to the other, not forgotten for 

 the reason that they never were known to that state, the memorj- of 

 them belonging to a set of cells for the time being inactive, and, as it 

 were, locked up. 



A number of examples are given by Abercrombie, which illustrate 

 the forgoing statements. One is the case of a porter, who, in a state 

 of intoxication, left a parcel at a wrong house, and when sober could 

 not recollect what he had done with it. But the next time he got drunk 

 he recollected where he had left it, and went and recovered it. 

 Wilkie Collins' story of "Moonstone," is founded on the known fact 

 that acts performed unconsciously while under the influence of a drug, 

 may be performed a second time if the conditions are again all the 

 same. 



Another case is mentioned by Abercrombie on the authority of Dr. 

 Pritchard. of "a lady who was liable to sudden attacks of delirium, 

 which, after continuing for various periods, went off as suddenh r , leav- 

 ing her at once perfectly rational. The attack was often so sudden 

 that it commenced while she was engaged in interesting conversation, 

 and on such occasions it happened that on her recovery from the state 

 of delirium, she instantly recurred to the conversation she had been en- 

 gaged in at the time of the attack, though she had never referred to it 

 during the continuance of the affection. To such a degree was this 

 carried that she would even complete an unfinished sentence. During 



