pathology of lying-第13部分

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‘‘The　B。's　are　ashamed　of　me　I　suppose。　　I　ran　away　from　them。　　They　are　refined　people。　　But　I　can't　be　treated　in　that　way。　　They　adopted　me。　　They　said　that　I　got　some　money　dishonestly；　but；　doctor；　it　is　not　in　me　to　be　bad。　　I　feel　that　through　and　through。

‘‘Well；　I　know　that　I'm　a　Yankee　by　birth；　on　both　sides。　　My　people　came　from　Mayflower　stock。　　I　will　make　my　way　in　the　world；　I　will　succeed；　and　you'll　see；　doctor。　　I　will　have　an　education。　　As　to　going　back　to　the　Johnsons；　I　would　commit　suicide　rather　than　do　that。　　It　was　not　true　that　I　had　a　good　education　as　I　told　you。　　They　did　not　treat　me　well。　　They　can　write　as　they　please　and　talk　about　forgiveness　for　what　I　have　done；　but　it　is　they　who　were　cruel　and　abusive。　　Suppose　they　do　say　I'm　their　child。　　I　know　I　am　not　because　I　was　not　treated　the　same　as　the　others。　　I　was　12　or　13　when　I　ran　away　from　them。　　How　could　I　belong　to　the　family？　　They　are　all　so　much　older　than　I　am。''

Inez　now　gave　us；　most　curiously；　some　addresses　which　opened　up　knowledge　of　her　career　over　several　years。　　But　what　she　told　us　about　these　new　people　was　directly　denied　by　return　mail。　　At　one　interview　her　first　words　were；　‘‘Do　you　know　now；　doctor；　that　I　was　in　a　State　hospital？''　　Having　made　this　challenging　statement　she　went　no　further；　merely　involved　herself　in　contradictions　as　to　the　place；　and　would　say　nothing　more　than　that　she　had　once　suffered　from　an　attack　of　nervous　prostration。　　She　absolutely　denied　items　of　information　about　herself　which　we　had　gradually　accumulated；　and　this　type　of　reaction　obtained　all　the　way　through　our　last　period　of　acquaintance　with　Inez；　even　after　we　had　the　detailed　facts　about　her　early　life　from　her　parents。

Inez　never　lost　an　opportunity　to　impress　upon　people　whom　she　did　not　regard　as　her　equals　that　she　considered　herself　much　of　a　lady　and　quite　above　housework。　　On　one　occasion；　when　held　as　a　runaway　girl；　she　had　a　terrible　outbreak　of　temper　simply　because　she　was　asked　to　clear　the　dinner　table。　　This　was　no　momentary　affair。　　Her　recalcitrancy　was　kept　up　the　larger　part　of　one　day；　and　she　made　the　place　almost　unbearable　that　night　by　screaming　and　moaning。　　Telling　me　about　the　incident；　she　said　it　was　because　she　would　not　allow　herself　to　cater　to　such　people。　　‘‘If　a　person　asks　me；　I　may　do　things；　but　nobody　can　tell　me　to。　　I　would　not　give　in。　　I　would　not　do　it。''

To　some　of　us　it　has　seemed　highly　significant　that　at　moments　which　would　ordinarily　be　expected　to　bring　out　great　emotion　Inez　showed　almost　none。　　For　instance；　when　going　to　an　important　interview　about　the　disposition　of　her　case；　she　first　plaintively　said　she　did　not　know　what　to　say；　and　then　immediately　began　to　dwell　with　evident　pleasure　upon　the　costume　of　the　person　addressing　her。　　Many　normal　emotions　were　seen　expressed；　however；　and　many　moral　sentiments　were　undoubtedly　held；　but　there　seemed　to　be　curious　displacements　upon　these　levels　of　her　mental　life；　there　was　faulty　mental　stratification。　　Probably　the　force　which　caused　this　is　egocentrism。


In　relating　what　we　now　know　of　the　past　history　of　this　case　we　shall　put　together　that　which　we　have　heard　from　many　different　sources。　　There　is　no　question　about　all　the　important　factscorrespondents　largely　corroborate　each　other。

Inez　came　from　a　family　of　French　extraction；　apparently　stable　and　normal　tradespeople。　　The　old　mother　at　74　years　wrote　us　an　unusually　well…thought…out；　detailed　account　of　her　daughter's　early　life。　　The　paternal　grandfather　was　insane　and　an　aunt　had　epilepsy。　　Defective　heredity　in　other　respects　is　denied。　　We　get　no　history　of　convulsions　in　the　immediate　family；　nor　of　any　other　neurotic　manifestation；　except　that　one　sister　is　‘‘very　excitable。''

Inez　came　when　the　mother　was　unusually　advanced　in　life；　and　the　brothers　and　sisters；　of　whom　there　were　five；　had　long　since　been　born。　　There　was　a　difference　of　10　years　between　Inez　and　the　next　older。　　In　telling　the　facts；　the　mother　dwells　much　on　this　and　the　bearing　which　her　chagrin　during　pregnancy　may　have　had　upon　the　girl's　physical　and　mental　development。　　She　was　born；　then；　after　a　troubled　pregnancy；　a　weak　and　sickly　child；　‘‘almost　like　a　skeleton。''

Inez　was　rather　slow　at　walking；　but　at　one　year　spoke　her　first　words。　　We　do　not　know　with　accuracy　about　the　earliest　factors　in　the　mental　environment。　　（Inez　has　told　various　stories　about　early　family　friction；　and　even　about　contracting　an　infection　at　home；　much　of　which　seems　highly　conjectural。）　　Between　the　ages　of　7　and　10　several　sicknesses；　diphtheria；　measles　with　some　cardiac　complication；　etc。；　kept　her　much　out　of　school。　　Part　of　the　time　she　lived　in　New　Orleans；　and　part　of　the　time　in　a　country　district。　　She　only　went　to　school　until　she　was　14；　and　was　somewhat　retarded　on　account　of　changing　about　and　illnesses。　　However；　it　is　said　she　always　liked　her　school　and　showed　fair　aptitude　for　study。　　At　14　she　returned　to　New　Orleans　and；　desiring　to　be　a　dressmaker；　started　in　that　trade。　　She　worked　in　several　places；　but　finally　went　back　to　her　home。

At　the　age　of　18　Inez　met　with　what；　according　to　her　family；　was　a　decisive　event　in　her　life。　　She　was　in　a　trolley　car　accident；　after　being　knocked　down　she　was　unconscious　for　some　time。　　No　definite　injury　was　recorded。　　Her　family　marked　an　entire　change　of　character　from　that　time。　　They　say　she　then　began　lying　in　the　minutest　detail　about　people　and　seemed　to　believe　in　her　own　falsifications。　　Besides　this　she　started　the　roving　tendency　which　she　has　shown　ever　since。


The　extensive　information　which　we　have　received　concerning　the　later　history　of　this　remarkable　case　we　can　only　take　space　to　give　in　summary。　　We　know　definitely　that　Inez　has　received　attention；　during　periods　varying　from　a　few　days　to　six　months；　in　no　less　than　18　different　hospitals。　　Besides　this　she　has　been　under　the　care　of　physicians　at　least　a　score　of　times。　　Her　swindling　in　this　matter　was　so　flagrant　in　one　eastern　city　to　which　she　had　journeyed　that　she　was　handled　through　the　police　court　and　was　sentenced　to　a　state　hospital　for　the　insane　for　a　term　of　6　months。　　The　charge　was　that　she　was　an　idle　person　and　a　beggar；　and　she　was　regarded　as　perhaps　being　unbalanced。　　The　report　from　this　town　is　that　she　would　be　taken　with　‘‘spells　of　apparent　violent　illness　on　the　street；　in　the　trolley　cars；　at　railroad　stations；　and　so　be　carried　to　various　hospitals　and　doctors'　homes。''　　She　has　visited　numerous　cities；　getting　her　sustenance　largely　through　hospitals　and　physicians。

After　being　admitted　into　one　famous　hospital　and　showing　some　of　her　curious　manifestations　she　was　transferred　to　a　state　institution　in　the　vicinity　to　be　studied　for　insanity。　　Correspondence　with　one　physician　tells　the　story　of　how　five　years　ago　he　was　called　from　a　medical　meeting　to　attend　this　‘‘girl''　who　had　been　taken　from　a　trolley　car　into　his　home。　　She　was　apparently　suffering　great　pain　in　the　region　of　the　old　appendicitis　scar　and　she　was　conveyed　in　an　ambulance　to　a　hospital。　　After　investigation　for　a　few　days；　it　was　decided　she　was　hysterical　or　a　simulator。　

On　numerous　occasions　her　feigned　illness　has　been　so　apparently　overcoming　that　she　has　had　to　be　transferred　in　an　ambulance　to　a　hospital。　　One　of　her　usual　performances　has　been　to　get　into　some　home　or　institution　and　then　keep　others　awake　all　night　with　her　signs　of　distress。　　It　is　interesting　that　she　has　used　the　same　methods　over　and　over　again；　but　has　been　adroit　enough　to　vary　the　illnesses　which　she　has　simulated。　　At　one　time　investigation　in　a　hospital　seemed　to　show　that　she　was　neurasthenic。　　She　has　been　given　chances　in　homes　for　convalescents；　but　has　never　maintained　herself　in　such　a　place　for　long。　　We　note　she　was　sent　back　from　one　of　these　to　the　main　hospital　on　account　of　having　vomited　the　medicine　she　had　been　given。　　In　fact；　she　has　repeatedly　been　found　resisting　the　treatment　which　had　been　prescribed。

The　record　of　admission　and　treatment　given　in　one　hospital　is　of　peculiar　interest。　　She　was　received　there　four　years　ago　and　evidently　had　been　unable　just　previously　to　take　care　of　herself　properly　on　account　of　roaming。　　Her　clothing　was　dirty　and　her　head　unclean。　　She　was　found　to　have　the　old　appendicitis　scar；　which　contained　a　small　sinus。　　She　remained　in　bed　after　admission；　complaining　of　much　pain　in　her　abdomen；　not　well　localized　however；　and　would　lie　moaning；　crying；　and　rolling　across　the　bed。　　She　was　then　running　a　slight　temperature。　　After　a　time　an　operation　was　decided　upon　and　a　hairpin　was　found　in　the　abdominal　wall；　undoubtedly　inserted　through　the　scar　by　the　patient　herself。　　（The　findings　of　the　surgeon　in　Chicago；　then；　revealed　a　repeated　performance。）

At　another　place　the　patient　maintained　she　was　unable　to　urinate；　but　at　the　same　time　strongly　resisted　catheterization。　　From　the　variability　of　her　complaint　it　was　found　it　could　not　be　caused　by　a　local　condition；　and　examination　showed　no　reason　for　the　difficulty。　　Analysis　of　her　symptoms　undertaken　at　this　time　led　to　several　stories；　one　about　urethritis；　which　Inez　claimed　to　have　contracted　from　her　brother　at　3　years；　an　episode　when　she　had　received　a　great　fright　during　micturition；　an　incident　when　she　had　seen　a　man　exposed　when　she　went　to　the　toilet。　　（Of　course；　our　experience　with　this　type　of　case　leads　us　to　appreciate　the　difficulties　of　psychological　analysis　with　extreme　liars。）

On　one　occasion　she　entered　a　hospital；　claiming　to　have　been　recently　injured；　she　had　been　taken　in　a　supposed　fainting　condition　from　a　car。　　Then　it　was　she　maintained　that　she　had　been　struck　by　an　iron　bar　and　that　a　spike　had　entered　her　back。　　She　also　claimed　at　this　time　to　have　had　her　toes　frozen。　　Study　of　the　case　here；　too；　showed　no　signs　of　injury　or　frost　bite。　　On　another　occasion　she　told　of　having　been　dropped　by　a　nurse　while　being　lifted　from　a　bed。　　Altogether　her　stories　and　her　simulations　have　been　convincing　enough　to　get　for　her　on　many　occasions　good　attention　during　at　least　a　few　days。

We　can　get　no　account　o