l8 ^-\ Psychology. 513 



right." B. : " I'm all wrong. My name is'nt Brown. Where am I ? " 

 E. : " Norristown." B. : " Where's that ? " E. : " In Pennsylvania." 

 B. : "What part of the country?" E. : "About 17 miles west of Phil 

 adelphia." B. : " What time in the month is it?" E. : " The 14th." 

 B. : "Does time run backwards here? When I left home it was the 

 17th." E. : " 17th of what ? " B. : " 17th of January." E. : " It is 

 the 14th of March." 



Mr. Earle thought Mr. " Brown " was out of his mind, and said that 

 he would send for a doctor. He summoned Dr. Louis H. Read, to 

 whom Mr. Bourne fold the story of his doings at Rhode Island, and 

 how he rememhered nothing between the time of seeing the express 

 wagons on Dorrance Street and waking up that morning March 14th. 

 " These persons," he said, " tell me I am in Norristown, Pennsylvania, 

 and that I have heen here six weeks, and that I have lived with them 

 all the time. I have no recollection of ever having seen one of them 

 before this morning." He requested Dr. Read to wire to his nephew, 

 Andrew Harris, at 121 Broad Street, Provideuce, R. I. Dr. Read tele- 

 graphed :" Do you know Ansel Bourne? Please answer." The re- 

 ply came : " He is my uncle. Wire me where he is, and if well." 



Later this nephew came up to Norristown, sold the goods in the 

 store by auction, and settled up the business affairs of " Mr. Brown," 

 who, as Ansel Bourne, travelled back with him to Rhode Island. Dr. 

 Read adds, in the account of the case, which he furnished to Dr. Weir 

 Mitchell ; " He said he was a preacher and farmer, and could not con- 

 ceive why he should have engaged in a business he knew nothing 

 about and never had any desire to engage in. When asked about his 

 purchasing and paying for goods, and paying freight bills, he said he 

 had no recollection of any such transactions." 



The family with whom he lived say that after the occurrence of that 

 morning he was greatly changed. He was annoyed at any reference to 

 his store, and never entered it afterwards. He became despondent, 

 took no food, was unable to sleep, and became greatly prostrated, both 

 physically and mentally. 



Whether or no this was a case of " masked epilepsy," no one famil- 

 iar with the peculiarities of the hypnotic state can fail to see the 

 likeness between the experience of Ansel Bourne and that of patients 

 who have purposely been kept for considerable periods under the in- 

 fluence of hypnotic suggestion. Such patients, when aroused from the 

 hypnotic trance have never any recollection of the time which has 

 elapsed since they were " put to sleep," although in the interim they 

 have been carrying on the ordinary business of life as if the whole 



