ny time. This suggests a
definitely hysterical mechanism. Anna L. (Case 16) said retrospectively
that she felt as if she were dead, although walking around, and also
that she thought she was a ghost and not supposed to speak. Anna M. said
she had tried to speak but everything stuck in her throat. Alice R. said
that she had no energy, did not want to talk. Meta S. (Case 15) claimed
that while stuporous her tongue would not move. Isabella M. in
intervals claimed that during the stuporous periods she felt as if dead
and said retrospectively when the whole psychosis was over that it was
"an effort to speak." Johanna S. (Case 13), while stuporous when pressed
with questions would say: "I can't think," "I don't know," "I am
twisted." When food was offered her she protested, "I am dead."
Charlotte W. (Case 12), in reviewing her case, said: "I was mesmerized,"
"I thought I was dead." Anna G. (Case 1), in retrospect said: "I don't
think I could speak," again "I made no effort," or "I did not care to
speak." Henrietta H. (Case 8) said, "I lost speech." She claimed that
she did not move because she was tired and had a numb feeling. Mary C.
(Case 7) said that her tongue had been thick and that she felt dull.
Rose Sch. (Case 6) said during the psychosis that her head was upside
down and retrospectively that she had been mixed up, could not remember
well, did not feel like talking. Mary D. (Case 4) said that she had been
dazed, that she had not felt like talking, and that her limbs "were
stiff like." We should probably also include here as a delusion of death
the statement of Annie K. (Case 5) who wanted to die and thought she
would do so if she kept still enough.

It is rather striking that among all the forty cases only one spoke of
being sick--"I am so sick." Only one evaded questions with "that was my
illness." One would expect a priori that these patients would offer some
vague explanations or make complaints of weakness. If these stupors
were purely physical in origin, one would expect such explanations as
weakness or illness to be offered in accounting for the inactivity. That
there is a rather definite type of explanation offered is, we think,
distinctly suggestive. If one tries to correlate and group the death
ideas, one sees that they are all delusions of death or of loss of
energy or complaints of hysterical symptoms that look like sham death.
If the lack of energy complained of be looked upon as lifelessness, one
can conc