“I was buried alive on —— and again on —— [5 months and 4½ months respectively before admission], and then I had the misfortune to have two shells burst over me on —— [four days before admission]. There was shelling for about 20 minutes and then two bursted over my head. I did not remember any more until you came to see me, but I am still living in hopes to regain my speech back.”
It seems that he had wandered off with a lance-corporal for three days after the first burial, and neither he nor his comrade were able to find their regiment.
Understanding was slow and look vacant. There were jerky movements of the arms and a snoring sound from the nasopharynx. Voluntary movements were restricted, weak, slowly executed, jerky, and incoördinated, but not tremulous. Station was unsteady; failure in finger-to-nose test. He could imitate the sound ah, and the consonants s and p.
Knee-jerks exaggerated; plantars flexor; abdominal reflexes absent; pupils reacted; eye movements normal; moderate restriction of visual fields on temporal side; watch not heard even in contact with ear; heard better by air than by bone conduction.
In the next two days, the patient became brighter and movements became better. On the seventh day stupor and ataxia had disappeared. Familiar names could be repeated and the next day could be given on request. The patient would sweat profusely in giving replies. There was no spontaneous speech. A week later speech had improved.
Under hypnosis he spoke more fluently though feebly, and became emotional upon being questioned as to trench life, waking up suddenly from hypnosis and wiping the sweat from his chest.
The next day, forgotten events of the second burial were recalled together with what followed. Post-hypnotic suggestion of the performance of eccentric actions was successful.
Next day his memory had returned save in reference to the two days’ wandering after the first burial; and under hypnosis the events of those two days were recalled. He was then transferred to an English hospital.
Re hypnosis for “war shock,” Eder remarks that the usual objections to hypnosis cannot apply because the majority of cases have no neuropathic antecedents. Eder, as psychoanalyst, endeavors to level hypnotic suggestion against the so-called “complexes.” Elliot Smith and Pear commend Lt.-Col. Myers’ results, but regard the results of hypnotic treatment as brilliant but erratic. Colin Russel, regarding hypnotism as an induced hysteria, remarks that a true hysteria can hardly be cured by adding more, although he has sometimes used the treatment with apparent success. Podiapolsky notes that some 17 per cent of his functional cases will, at a word, drop off into an artificial deep slumber. He thinks chloroform should not be given to these subjects without an attempt to secure this artificial deep slumber first. Chavigny, highly commending suggestion, notes that the use of hypnotism is prohibited in military hospitals in France. A remark of Smirnow indicates that the Russian authorities also look with disfavor upon hypnosis, but he notes certain patients whom he cured by hypnosis, so that apparently Russia did not absolutely forbid the use of hypnosis in war cases. Another Russian, Arinstein, prefers the Dubois method to hypnosis.