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HYPNOTISM, DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS and alterations of personality by Etienne Eugène Azam

2. I lose sight of Felida X....

At that moment, diverted by other subjects of study, I completely lost sight of her; she married the young man we talked about. However, this very intelligent young man carefully observed his wife's condition from 1859 to 1876. His information fills the 16-year gap that exists in my direct observation.

Here is a summary of what happened over those 16 years.

Around the age of seventeen and a half, Félida gave birth, and during the next two years, her health was excellent, no particular phenomenon was observed.

Around the age of nineteen and a half, however, the attacks described reappeared with a moderate intensity.

One year later, the second pregnancy was very painful, considerable blood spitting and various nervous accidents related to hysteria, such as attacks of lethargy that last three and four hours.

At that time and until the age of twenty-four, there were more attacks, and their duration, which initially equaled that of periods of normal state, were beginning to exceed them in duration. The pulmonary haemorrhages became more frequent and considerable; Félida then became affected by partial paralysis, lethargy, ecstasies, etc., all phenomena due, as everyone knows, to the hysteria that dominates her temperament.

From twenty-four to twenty-seven years of age, our patient had three full years of normalcy. After that time, and until 1865, that is, for the last six years, the disease reappeared with the form I will describe soon.

I would add that during these sixteen years Felida had eleven pregnancies or miscarriages (including the 1859 births) for two children who are now alive.

In addition, I must point out a very important particularity.

The second condition, the period of attack, which in 1858 and 1859 occupied only about one-tenth of existence, gradually increased in duration, became equal to normal life, then exceeded it to gradually reach the present state where, as we will see, it fills almost her entire existence.