This article describes the case of Mary Barnes, who was 12 years old in 1894. After an illness Mary began to develop multiple personalities over a number of years. 10 distinct personalities were noted. Their appearance lasted anywhere from a number of weeks without interruption to a mere matter of minutes, never to return. Each of the personalities was distinct and would be accompanied with facial features, body abilities and knowledge. One personality was a deaf mute, one was blind, and one was paralyzed, several personalities had low intelligence levels. Dr. Wilson describes each of the personalities in detail, along with their arrival and departure dates. The author gives a brief overview of the Nervous System. Letters written by Mary’s different personalities are also included.
A young woman was treated for tremors and paralysis in the limbs, speech difficulties, high fevers and bleeding from the ears and eyes. Symptoms were not consistent with common diagnoses. Dr. Walker eventually communicated via hypnosis with two additional personalities; none of the three were initially able to recall actions of the others. The most child-like personality was reported by the primary personality as responsible for creating the symptoms. Walker was unable to obtain historic information which may have precipitated the symptoms. At conclusion of treatment, all symptoms had been alleviated but all three personalities continued to be accessible under hypnosis.
Dr. Myers discusses the case of Louis V. His case is compared to that of Felida X. Louis V. ‘s 2nd personality emerged after a scare with a viper. He developed other personalities due to various causes after that point. In all he is said to have six separate personalities. Some of these personalities also suffer from paralysis or epilepsy, some are gentle, other resort to thievery and mischief. Dr. Myers includes a chart to show the differences between the personalities.
22 year old V. was raised by an abusive mother. Arrested for vagrancy, he was sentenced to a penal farm, given basic education, and viewed as “extremely intelligent”. While V. collected grapevines one day, a snake wrapped itself around his arm. The terror triggered hysterical-epileptic convulsions, leaving paraplegia. Therefore, he was trained in tailoring. Another attack occurred two months later, his paraplegia disappeared. V. forgot tailoring skills and his character completely changed. Six successive, unique conscious states emerged over a decade in which V. was alternately: (1) a full right side hemiplegic, talkative, rude, overly familiar; (2) a left side hemiplegic (trunk and limbs), reserved, polite, respectful, with no awareness of where he was; (3) a left side hemiplegic (limbs only), polite, remembering nothing of previous life except brief vineyard employment; (4) a full paraplegic, timid, remembering tailoring skills, sad, unaware of current events, unable to read or write; (5) without paralysis, agile, childlike, memories of childhood and attendant abuse recovered; (6) without feeling on left side, convulsing, hallucinating, an excellent reader who believed himself an enlisted marine. V. was committed to at least eight psychiatric/penal institutions in which he was treated with iron, steel, magnet, electrical, and transfer therapies., V., 22 ans, était maltraité par sa mère. Vagabond, il est arrêté et renvoyé dans une maison de correction, ou il est éduqué et trouver « fort intelligent ». Quand V. ramassait des sarments, une vipère s’enroule autour de son bras, et la frayeur le jette dans une série d’attaques convulsives hystèro-épileptiques, qui mènent progressivement á la paraplégie. On le place á l’atelier des tailleurs. Deux mois plus tard, une deuxième attaque, et la paraplégie disparut, mais V. avait oublié de coudre et son caractère s’était transformé. Six états s’ensuivent : (1) hémiplégie droit, ou V. est bavard, impoli, familier ; (2) hémiplégie gauche (face et membres), ou il est réservé, poli, respectueux, sans conscience d’où il est ; (3) hémiplégie gauche (membres seules), ou il est poli, se souvenant pas sa vie antérieure, sauf son travail dans un vignoble ; (4) paraplégie complète, ou V. est timide, triste, sans conscience des événements de l’époque, incapable d’écrire ni lire, se souvenant coudre encore ; (5) sans paralysie, agile, enfantin, se souvenant de son enfance et de l’abus qu’il a subi ; (6) sans paralysie, convulsif, lit très bien, se croyant soldat de la marine. V. a été renvoyé dans huit institutions psychiatriques/pénaux, éprouvant les thérapies du fer, de l’acier, de l’aimant, de l’électricité, et du transfert.
