IN A TRANCE FOR 49 DAYS.

Evening Star, Issue 14626, 24 July 1911, Page 3

IN A TRANCE FOR 49 DAYS.

A young peasant who has boon in a trance for 49 days Ls attracting the attention of the medical world. The story of this protracted letnargy comes from Kkuterinoslav, where the subject, aged 21, is under arrest on tho charge cf having par. ticipated in an armed attack made on a passenger train in 1908. So fa.r back a.s March 19 the young peasant fell into a. comatose state, his oyw* and mouth being closed. All offorte to restoro animation proved unsuccessful. After the lapse of a fortnight, during which the prisoner had no food or drink of any description, he got up, said a prayer, and' lay -down again. The prison authorities believed that ho was simulating lethargy, and were not convinced to the contrary until his apparently lifeless body was driven in a cart to the court of justice and examined by a special commission, including medical experts. Ho was then taken back to prison, whore he remained until April 14, still receiving -no food and showing no signs of consciousness. Eventually he was removed to the Zemstvo Hospital, where he is now lying.. Artificial feeding was resorted to with satisfactory resuks, and the emaciated appearance of the patient has now changed for the better. The lower part of lus body is quite non-sentiout. There are signs that the prisoner is rocovenug control of h:s faculties; and the hospital doctors are of opiniua that, although he can neither move nor speak, he hears everything that is said to him. On© of tho experts watching tho case goes so far a 6 to maintain that the auditory sense has been active during the whole 49 days that the lethargy has already lasted.