Putative loss of brother nearby in battle: Spontaneous hypnosis or somnambulism; mutism, except “Mamma, Mamma.” Sudden awakening after twenty-seven days.
A man, 22, was brought to the Saint Nicolas Hospital in a sort of coma August 24, 1914. He lay on the bed, eyes closed as if asleep, insensible to excitation, irresponsive. Flies crawled upon him with impunity. He did not wink. The arms raised fell back inert. The corneal reflex was absent on the left side, diminished on the right. The knee-jerks and the skin reflexes were normal.
Next day he had to be fed like a child and looked after. Lifted from bed, once on the ground he stood up with flexed legs, as if to crouch. It seemed as if he was about to fall, but he did not.
The next day he was in the same immobile state. Upon removal from bed he again made as if to fall, but got his balance. He kept his legs flexed, his head lowered in a fixed posture, with his eyes on the ground. He would walk quickly without falling, if taken by the hand, feet dragging, and even holding back with a certain amount of force. His walk suggested that of a somnambulist. He was left in a standing posture by his bed throughout the medical visit. After a few minutes he began to flex his legs progressively and slowly. The attendant cried out, “He is going to fall.” Instead of falling, he sat down upon the floor near the bed. He was in the same immobile, somnolent state September 1, eyes half open, hidden under long lashes. Flies walked over his eyes and lids, but he did not wink. He would rise only when pushed and walk only when pulled, but had begun to eat a little better. To all questions he replied, from between his teeth, “Mamma. Mamma.”
The next day there was a bit more spontaneity in his walking.
Lumbar puncture showed a slight hypertension. There were traces of albumin and very few lymphocytes.
September 6, he was able to eat soup alone, but kept the same immobile posture, with eyes fixed on the ground, eyelids not winking, in a posture suggesting Parkinson’s disease, but without rigidity. He still replied only, “Mamma. Mamma.”
September 19 the patient suddenly waked up completely. Douches and external irritations had not served to wake him up, but a soldier told him upon this day that his brother was not dead, as he believed, but was alive and he then began to speak, opened his eyes, and began to talk. He told how he had been by the side of his brother in battle. Germans had taken them in the flank and opened machine guns upon them. Two men had fallen by his side, and, catching at his garments, kept him from retiring when the order was given. He got loose, looked for his brother among the corpses, could not find him, thought him dead, and from that point forward had been without memory. He shortly became perfectly normal.