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FIG. 1: LOOKING THROUGH BRAIN FROM THE REAR.

A: Normal identity of a normal man. B: "Second-self "-unconscious-in a normal man.

time, to say just who he was. Then he told his story, straightforward and connected. He was an Irishman, it seems, who had come to this country with a little money in his possession. shortly before the Klondyke discoveries. Having nothing in particular to do but seek his fortune, he had left for the Alaska country on hearing of the wonderful opportunities there. Like others, he had suffered hardships, but continued on with the determination of finding gold, if any was to be found. Alone, he had wandered in his quest from the main trail, with its scattered horde of seekers; and alone he had come upon fortune and misfortune together. In swinging his pick, while prospecting, into some loose rock beneath an overhanging ledge, he had struck a lucky find at a moment when least expected, at the same time loosening a small boulder above him. just enough to bring it bounding down upon him. It had struck his head, laying him unconscious with wealth within his grasp, and fracturing his skull, as was later discovered. The wonderful part of his story is, that after the operation he succeeded in making his way back to the very spot of his discovery, found things just as they were at first, filed his claim, and afterwards sold out for many thousands of dollars. He is living today, and enjoying in comfort the fruits of his terrible, but curious and interesting experience.

This illustration from real life shows only one of the many interesting phases of lost-identity. This condition, which may come suddenly into the life of any one, often presents characteristics more pronounced, but seldom, if ever, more dramatic. Double personality, that peculiar state of mind during which Smith may think he is Brown, or some entirely unheard of individual, and in which role he enacts most naturally and logically the newly assumed personality, forget

then present as an after-effect of braininjury. or as the result of disease. The manifestation of changed identity, in most instances, shows itself not SO much as a deterioration of intellect, as of character and morals. A person who, previous to such a misfortune, may have been a model of virtue in his community. often becomes the most quarrelsome of mortals, a disgrace to himself and to all near and dear to him. Many are known to have changed their beliefs on the most vital subjects, developing criminal traits, and turning to thievery or worse, only to end in jail or in serving a long imprisonment.

Up in Alberta, that wide domain but recently subdued to the plow, lived an old Scotchman, widely known by his given name of Alec, who kept a general store, and had a reputation for honesty and shrewdness over a wide range of territory. He was the last man in the world to be suspected of doing the least thing contrary to the accepted standard of a desirable citizen. He had prospered in business, had no enemies, and was respected and happy. One day he started out alone on horse-back, to be gone some days on a hunting-trip. The following day the horse returned alone, riderless. Evidently something serious had happened. A searching party was gotten together at once, and began to scour the country for miles around. That same

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DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATIONS OF NORMAL BRAIN AND SKULL.

Figure 1-Shaded line represents seat of higher faculties. Figure 2-Injury at A causes loss of memory;
at B, of speech; at C, of identity. Figure 3-A represents "seat" of the "personality" in
interior of the brain; B, "second-self," existing in all brains-note relative
size of the two personalities. When A is injured or "submerged,"

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B assumes command, showing a different "identity."

night Alec turned up at his home, apparently sound and well, and spoke of the incident as nothing more than a sort of joke, with himself as victim. He had been riding down a steep and narrow bridle-path, he said, whistling and unconcerned, when a bear from an adjoining thicket suddenly bounded into the path ahead, frightening his horse before its rider had time to realize the reason. He was thrown suddenly from the saddle, alighting on his head some fifteen feet below the side of the path. He felt all right; he looked all right, and there the story ended. But before a week had passed, those who knew him best began to note a strange change in his manner toward them. He became irritable and quarrelsome without the slightest provocation. Just about the time these changes in his disposition were becoming a topic of common conversation, Alec mysteriously disappeared. So far as could be learned, he had taken absolutely nothing with him; everything in his store, and in the living-rooms above, was in perfect order. Weeks went by, and no word or knowledge came. Search was made in all conceivable quarters, but with no success nor slightest trace of him. He had disappeared as completely as if swallowed by some terrible cataclysm. All hope of ever seeing him again was at last sadly abandoned. Some months later, news spread like wild-fire over the regions of western Montana and northern Idaho, of the appearance there of one of the most daring bandits that wild

country had ever known. He would appear and demand food at some ranch one day, and then suddenly show up, on the same quest, at another ranch some thirty miles distant the day following. Such wide leaps seemed impossible for a man on foot, but the various descriptions of him tallied exactly. These strange raids continued day after day, and though he was said to be heavily armed, no one had been hurt in any way, nor had any one the courage to resist him. Hardened frontiersmen seemed awed by his presence, and wholly incapable of coping with his subtle tactics. He would calmly walk up to a group of campers, demand food or ammunition, or whatever else he needed, keeping his finger on the rifle-trigger all the while, and then solemnly warn them to discourage from following him the numerous posses which were in hot pursuit, saying he was prepared to fight to the death. There was something in his look which always caused a shiver when he told them this. Men who had joined in man-hunting before, as gladly as if they were running a fox to earth, one by one dropped from the pursuit. There was a something in bis elusiveness which bordered on the uncanny. Who he was none could guess. He became the mysterious terror of a vast wilderness. But he had harmed nobody. About the time the hunt was given up, there happened to be a hunting party from across the Canadian border encamped in western Montana. were seated around the fire one morn

They

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ing, enjoying their breakfast bacon, when they became suddenly aware of the presence of a stranger who had stepped from the shadow of the surrounding pines. Emaciated, unkempt, in rags, he presented a pitiful sight. Startled to their feet by his ghastly appearance, and with thoughts of the terrorizing bandit uppermost in mind, they began a wild scurry for their fire-arms, when who should one of the party recognize in the unexpected visitor, but the long-lost Alec. The members of the party discovered very quickly that something was wrong with him mentally, for even in his weakened condition, he was cross and very irritable, muttering revenge on all civilization, with no recollection of the principal events of his past and home. They broke camp at once, and started with him across the border. In the course of a few days he was taken to a well known hospital in eastern Canada, where it was discovered that he had suffered from a fracture of the skull. He was operated on without delay, and successfully. His story had a happy ending, for before he left the hospital, his mind had recovered its own proper personality, and Alec became himself again, as shrewd as before, and as honest. Thus, by the surgeon's hand, two interesting mysteries were solved, and a desirable citizen saved for days of further useful

ness.

Fine questions of law and right shade into one another with a nicety difficult to unravel, in certain phases of doublepersonality. Smith, say, was considered a perfectly sane man up to a year ago. He deserts a wife, and all trace of him is lost until ten years later. An old friend discovers him in a remote part of the country, married again, with a family. He is prosperous and respected in his new environment, and is as sane as any man in the community. He has changed little in the ten years in physical appearance, but absolutely fails to recognize his old friend, or any incident in his own former life as Smith, for his name is now Brown, and he is just as much another sane individuality, as if he had literally been born agam. What is his standing legally? Would it be right to punish the present Brown, when it was the former Smith who was guilty of

wife desertion? Is Brown guilty of bigamy? Should Brown be compelled to go back to the former wife, Mrs. Smith, a woman who would be as strange to him under his second personality, just as much as to any stranger? Who is Brown, anyway,—in law, in justice, and in fact? Outwardly he is certainly Smith, but in his heart has never, in all truth, heard of him. Such a problem actually came up before a California. court some years ago. The case was of a kind to make any thinking person ask himself "Who, indeed, am I," and leave the question unanswered. A person is accustomed to believe that if anything exists in this universe, it is surely himself. Perhaps a recital of the instance just referred to, may give that person

room for doubt.

John Anderson was a fairly prosperous farmer, who rented some eighty acres in one of the corn-belt states. He had a wife and family, with whom he lived in perfect accord, as well as with his neighbors. He was hard-working, prudent and saving, and as sound in intellect as you or I. Owing to the delicate health of one of the children, and for reasons of ambition, he conceived the idea of going to southern California to buy an orange grove, to have a home of his own, and live in peace and quiet with his family for the rest of his days. His frugal habits and continuous toil had provided enough for this purpose, so he went on alone, with the intention of sending for his family as soon as he could find the kind of place he wanted. For some time letters were received at frequent intervals; everything seemed to be progressing favorably with him, and then no more letters came, and all trace of him was lost. Months of waiting went by, and years. The mother and children were verging on poverty, and had long given up the father as dead. One day surprising news was brought by a neighbor, who had just returned from the West, and had known Anderson in former days. He had met Anderson face to face in California; had found him living in most prosperous circumstances with a new wife and family. But he had failed to recognize the old friend, who had grown up with him from boyhood, and seemed so changed in thought,

actions, and everything but his external appearance, that the old neighbor was beginning to wonder whether or not he himself was losing his own proper proper identity. This news of Anderson resulted in a purse being made up for the longabandoned woman, and the neighbor and Mrs. Anderson went to California to take legal steps to enforce her rights and bring her husband back, if possible. The meeting be

are unable to assign a physical cause are most baffling, leading to speculation into unknown regions of the psychic world. Undoubtedly further research will throw much light on this very interesting subject. A few years ago, a man in high professional standing, residing in one of the Wisconsin towns on Lake Michigan, disappeared disappeared without any reasonable cause whatsoever. A wide search was instituted for hundreds of miles around, but in vain. At the end of some weeks all hope was abandoned. at least of ever finding him. alive. Then rumors from various farmers just beyond the Mississippi began to come in. One farmer had hired a vagrant farm-hand for a couple of days, who, after putting in several days of hard labor, suddenly disappeared without pay. Another farmer

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FIG. 3: THE CASE OF ALEC. BTHE SCOTSMAN.

A. personality proper, almost totally "submerged"

second personality, B. in full command-an abnormal and sometimes dangerous condition.

tween the two was pitiful. All who witnessed it were impressed with the man's innocence, and actually took sides against the woman for bringing trouble and notoriety to such a solid member of the community. But the wife held her ground. His eyes, hair, gait, manner of speech, all were the same she had known so long. As she recited these various facts, and the many little familiar incidents known only to themselves, of their many years together, Anderson appeared sincerely dumfounded, and first with tears in his eyes, and then in anger, flatly told her she was mistaken; that he had never heard of the man Anderson, and that his name was Arnold,-George Arnold. The matter got into court. All were convinced that the man was Arnold. But on hearing the other side, became equally convinced that he must be Anderson. No shadow of doubt was thrown on the man's sanity. The court was at a loss. Then Anderson, or Arnold, was taken ill with pneumonia, and in the course of a week was dead, solving the problem so far as he was concerned. Then all parties agreed that the case was one of double-personality. What the court's decision would have been had the man lived, is of course unknown.

It is not always an easy matter to trace the cause of these cases of lost-identity. Many occur without any sign or history. of brain-injury. The cases in which we

had, he thought, employed the same man under the same circumstances. Then another report, and another, of similar import, came flashing over the wires. All the descriptions fitted exactly that of the missing lawyer. Devoted friends hurried to that part of the country from which the rumors came, with the hope of finding the wanderer. They were able to trace him from farm to farm, and then from one village to another. In a certain town on the river was a factory for the manufacture of buttons. Some one said that a man answering the description of their friend was employed there. They hurried on, and there, in the garb of the commonest of workmen, was their cultured, learned friend, engaged in the useful, but lowly occupation of making pearl-buttons from clam-shells. He was happy, and seemed to enjoy his work immensely, and couldn't understand why they should want him to go back to home and friends, now totally forgotten. He was another identity entirely, who had returned to the simple life with a ven

geance. In the course of a few days, he was restored to home and his former personality, and said in explanation that a compelling craving for a simple life had caused the trouble. It would seem from this instance, that mental labor alone is not sufficient for the needs of many brain-workers, and that if those who employ their mentality only, would resort daily to some simple manual work, Nature would not make such violent demands when these needs are ignored. Manual work is the essence of the simple life, and the brain-worker, of any, can least afford to overlook this fact.

The incidents or accidents leading up to double-personality, cause the manifestation by "letting loose" the secondego, or "other self," which lies sleeping in all of us. To all intents and purposes, this second personality is as sane and healthy as the first, but-it is entirely different. Intellectually, this secondpersonality is often keener; morally, it is on a lower plane.

Within the past year, the son of a merchant was thrown from a wagon, owing to the horses running away. He was only sixteen years old, a handsome and manly young fellow, as promising a son in every way as any one could wish. He lay at home for weeks, hovering between life and death, as a result of his injuries. In the course of some months he had apparently fully recovered, and was physically as robust as ever. Mentally he was exceedingly brilliant, and astonished his parents and friends with his scintillations of wit and depth of philosophical

thought. His parents, particularly, felt a strangeness while in his presence they had never felt before. And then strange stories reached their ears of petty thefts committed by him; of carousals beyond their comprehension; of waywardness and delinquencies which seemed wholly foreign to his former character and habits. Finally a daring burglary was committed, and the youth apprehended as the offender. It was the final blow to the sorrowing parents. Extenuating circumstances were set forth, and the case never came to trial. Instead, the son was taken to a hospital, an opening was made in the skull, and a piece of bone, which had been causing pressure on the brain, removed. He was soon out again, and up to his newly-acquired offenses. The operation had proved a failure. Not long after, in the midst of a drunken revel, he put an end to himself with a common poison. This pitiful tragedy of a young life was due to an injury of the head, an injury not considered, as to its bearing on the future, at the time it occurred.

Today, through a better understanding of these unfortunates, and other victims of delinquency, many of them are cared for in psychic institutions, where they properly belong; and, thanks to Victor Horsley, of London, who made the first experiments in brain surgery on monkeys, many of these saddest of cases in the annals of the curiosities of lost-identity, can be completely cured by operative interference as practiced by the skilful hands of skilful surgeons.

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