- The document describes insulin coma therapy, a now obsolete form of psychiatric treatment where patients would be injected with insulin to induce seizures, comas, and other altered mental states. - It details the increasing doses of insulin administered, the resulting confusion, weakness, and other side effects experienced by patients. Tubes would be inserted into patients' stomachs during this process. - The therapy is discussed in the context of a strange country where abnormal or insane behavior was severely punished and a society aimed at preventing insanity through strict enforcement of normality.

1. Insulin
Coma Therapy

2. NORMAL INSANITY
By Kurt Schwitters
1930–1940

3. INJECTION OF INSULIN
III
INCREASING DOSE
IV
COMA
VII
INSERT TUBE INTO STOMACH
IX
CONFUSION
X
WEAKNESS
XII
Insulin Coma
Therapy

4. VOnce upon a time there was a country,
a very strange country, in which all the
people were normal, mentally as well as
physically,apartfromafewexceptions.
In this country, to be abnormal
or even crazy was regarded as
the greatest of crimes and the
greatest of disgraces, and all
crimes in this respect were
severely punished.
Even a single sign of
insanity such as paying
your taxes
taxes without an
exception, paying
taxes in advance,
paying debts, etc.,
would get you eight
days of hard labor,
and dementia praecox,
two years. If you had
paralysis, you would even
be sentenced to forced labor
for life. If you were a repeat
offender, both your eyes would
be covered and your ears stuffed
with cotton in order to make the
forced labor more difficult.
on time, giving details about your
IIIINJECTION OF INSULIN
INJECTION OF INSULIN
1930–1940

5. This was how hard
any attempt to be
crazy was punished.
V
VCheerio.
One time the ‘Women’s Society
for Prevention of Insanity by
Setting an Example’ held its
general meeting. The president
began by presenting the annual
report because annual reports are
the purpose and goal of societies.
V
IV INSULIN COMA THERAPY VINCREASING DOSE
INCREASED DOSE
1930–1940
Shereportedthatthepresidency
had changed, and the new
presidency had become even
stricter in persecuting any kind of
insane behavior, but despite these
actions, the number of new cases
of insanity had steadily increased.

6. VI INSULIN COMA THERAPY VIICOMA
COMA
1930–1940
The second speaker was called Mrs. Iss. She
asserted that, in contrast to this unpleasant
increase of the external cases of insanity,
the insanity within the organization of the
‘Women’s Society for Prevention of Insanity
by Setting an Example’ had understandably
decreased rather than having increased.

7. IX INSERT TUBE INTO STOMACH
INSERT TUBE INTO STOMACH
1930–1940
The uncritical person, however,
like most of the members of
the ‘Women’s Society for the
Prevention of Insanity by Setting
an Example,’ must recognize the
increasednormalcyasthethorough
and completely new normality
whereby the old normality that had
not increased would be stamped
by itself as abnormal and thereby
marked as insane.
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
sal
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
l
s
s
r s
l
a
ra
a
lr
s
la
s
r
a
a
lrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
ra
n
r
l
al
r
sl
a
sal
r
sl
a
sr
l
a
al
r
sl
a
sal
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
al
r
sl
a
s
l
r la
a
rsla
a
l rsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
sa
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrsla
s
a
lrslas
a lrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a
lrs la
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a l
r
s
l
a
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a
lrs la
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
ra
a lrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrslas
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
r
a
alrsla
sra
a lrs la
s r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
raa
lrsla
s
raa lrs la
sr
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lr
s
la
s
r
a
a
lrsla
s
ra
a lrs la
s
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
ra
a
lrsla
s
r
s
r
l
rsa
s
ra
ars la
r
a
alrs
l
a
s
r
aal rsa
s
r
a
a
l
rsas
r
a
al rsa
s
r
a
al
r
sas
a
asra
al rs
s
r
a
s
a
al rsa
s
r
a
a
l
ras
a
s
a
as
r
a
al r
s
s
r
a
s
The exemplary champion fighters
of healthy human intelligence had
demonstrated little tendency to fall
victim themselves to unhealthy
insanity, and this little tendency
was enormously reinforced by
the constant championing of the
true model of healthy normal
humanity, even if it meant that the
gap between the normal person
and the insane person increased
by doing this. Then she went far
afield and said that the normality
of people was something normal.
On the other hand, if one were
critical, one could call the
reinforcement of this normality
somewhat abnormal.
l
a
a
s
r
al
XIINSERT TUBE INTO STOMACH

8. After Mrs. Iss made her remarks,
thirty members asked to speak
all at the same time, and they
began speaking immediately and
causing so much confusion that
the president, Mrs. Hau, had to
pound on the lectern until there
was silence again. Thereupon
Mrs. Hau gave Miss Eulein
permission to speak.
Miss Eulein sharply rejected
the assertion made by Mrs. Iss
that most of the members of
the ‘Women’s Society for the
PreventionofInsanitybySetting
an Example’ were uncritical
people. She tried to support her
argument by pointing out that,
to a certain degree, the proof
was brought by Mrs. Iss that the
society had used razor-sharp
criticism on itself.
After Mrs. Iss made her remarks,
thirty members asked to speak
all at the same time, and they
began speaking immediately and
causing so much confusion that
the president, Mrs. Hau, had to
pound on the lectern until there
was silence again. Thereupon
Mrs. Hau gave Miss Eulein
permission to speak.
T
T
X INSULIN COMA THERAPY XICONFUSION
h
a
s
d
i
a
h
a
s
di
a
h
a
s
d
i
a
1930–1940
CONFUSION

9. XII INSULIN COMA THERAPY XIIIWEAKNESS
WEAKNESS
1930–1940

10. XIV INSULIN COMA THERAPY
Then she apologized that she unfortu-
nately felt compelled to give Mrs. Iss a
good bashing on her noggin. At this point
Mrs. Kau interrupted her and asked,
“What, may I ask, is Mrs. Iss’s noggin?”
“Her noggin,” said Mr. Kerr, ‘is the
intelligence that has shot over her head.’t h
a
t
h
a
s
s
h
o
‘Her noggin,’
said Mr. Kerr,
K.
r
M
d
i
a
s
;What, may I ask, is Mrs. Iss’s noggin?’