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Neurypnology: or the Rationale of Nervous Sleep – James Braid

Case XX. Mrs. J. 29 years of age, requested my attendance, 17th February, 1842. Had been attacked in the autumn of 1840, with slight degree of weakness of left side, and difficulty of speech, neither of which had ever been entirely removed. Three months after she was delivered of a still-born child, and had been affected with convulsions ten days prior to delivery, for which she seemed to have been treated in the usual manner. In about a month after delivery, 3lst January, 1841, she had an apoplectic attack, attended with total loss of consciousness, and paralysis of the left side, for which her medical attendant had prescribed the usual treatment. I was called to attend her on the 17th February, and continued to do so for five weeks, when, as there was no particular improvement manifested, she passed into other hands, and after being under treatment with them for ten weeks, without improving, she was sent into the country, where she remained for about thirteen months, when she was brought back to town to be placed under my care, 15th June, 1842. The following was her condition at this period. Her mouth very much drawn to the right side; her speech very imperfect; and her mind confused. The left hand and arm were quite powerless, and rigidly fixed to the side, the hand clenched, the fingers and thumb being rigidly and permanently flexed. The left leg very rigid, the heel drawn up, and the foot twisted so that it could only approach the ground By resting on the outer edge near the root of the little toe; she could move this leg a little, but had never been able to stand, or walk a step, or support any weight on it. I hypnotized her, though owing to her mind being so confused, I experienced considerable difficulty in getting her to attend to the necessary instructions for producing the condition. However, I at length succeeded, and after the first operation - I kept her in the hypnotic state for ten minutes - she could hold her mouth much straighter, could move the fingers a little, and lift the hand and arm four inches, and, with the assistance of her mother-in-law and myself supporting her by the arms, she was able to support half the weight of her body in walking across the room and back again. Her speech was also improved, and she evinced less confusion of mind. Next day I found the improvement was permanent, and hypnotized her again with advantage. 17th, Found her improved, and still more so after being again operated on. She could now, on merely steadying herself by laying hold of her mother-in-law's shoulder, stand supporting herself on the left leg, when the right foot was lifted clear from the floor. Her speech was still more improved, and mind more collected, so that I had very little difficulty in hypnotizing her now. She was operated on daily, with advantage, till the end of that month, and the results shewn to some of the most eminent professional and scientific gentlemen in this town. During the next two months she was operated on at times only, being so much better. In a few weeks she could walk to the door, steadying herself against the wall, and in a few weeks was able to walk into the street with the aid of a crutch. She had no medicine during this attendance. I only saw her occasionally now, and on the 1lth September, when I had not seen her for nine days before, whilst taking her usual airing in the street, she was seized with apoplexy, from which she died within sixteen hours. On inspection, the whole of the superior and anterior lobes of the right side of the brain were found to be in a state of atrophy; only a thin layer, and that in a state of ramolissement, covering the ventricle, which was filled with serum, as was also the space between the pia mater and arachnoid, to make up the space vacated by the wasting of the cerebral substance. There was no effusion of blood. It is not at all surprising that such a case should have resisted former treatment, or proved fatal at last; but it seems surprising that, with such a state of brain, hypnotism should have had the power of producing so much improvement is it did. [Yes indeed! - DM]