Page:A case of double consciousness Albert Wilson 1904 MPD in a child.djvu/7

Rh the water coil she formerly had for her head. This sub-stage and B 2 ("a thing") alternated until the beginning of March, 1896.

B 6 was a personality very like B 2 ("a thing"), but was gentler, more modest, and more refined. It appeared first on May 6th, 1896, and became a very constant visitor; in fact, she is now living in this sub-stage and supporting her own livelihood. The normal personality A was now a rare visitor, perhaps not appearing for a week or more, and possibly for only three or four minutes at a time.

B 6 we named "Good thing," or "Good creature," or "Pretty dear." It was not the same person as B 2 ("a thing"), because while "a thing" had now learned to read and write "Good creature" could not do so, and had to be taught. B 6 was more intelligent than any of the others, and learned French. A striking feature is that no other personality could understand French. B 6 also replaced B 2, which till now had been the common visitor.

Another instance of continuity of the different sub-stages was shown in the following circumstance:—B 6 ("Good creature") suddenly left at 9 p.m. on December 29th, 1896, returning on the evening of May 13th, 1897, and was excited and disturbed because she could not explain her surroundings. She had jumped suddenly from December to May, from winter to early summer. She asked how the cut flowers were there, as it was winter according to her memory, and being lamp-light she could not estimate the season.

On this occasion in May she changed from "Old Nick" to "Good creature" at about nine in the evening, and returned back to "Old Nick" in daylight on July 1st. She was again much disturbed to find it was daylight, for when she was last "Old Nick" the lamp was lit, and her father, whom she called "Tom," sitting beside her having his tea. She expected to see him, whereas he was in the City.

A more remarkable illustration is found in connection with her two visits to the sea-side. In August, 1896, she went as B 3 or "Old Nick" and bathed and learnt to swim. In 1898, two years later, she visited the same place as B 6 or "Good creature;" she then was quite ignorant of the place, and had no memory of being there before, nor having bathed. Two letters written to me, one at each visit, illustrate this conclusively.