Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-14
Female Ralgucinations.
british Medical Journal

Recent circumstances 1.-THE case of Lady
Florence Dixie have directed attention to
certain remarkable decisions to which fe-
males of unstable nervous equili brium are
subject, either through hysteria or
through similar disorders of the nervous
system. Charcot and Bonneville give in
stances of the extraordinary self-decep-
lions that are frequent among hysterical
patients. DR.. Lagrand du Saulle, physician
TO the Salpetriere, Paris, describes in his
standard work, ''Les Hysteriques," some
remarkable cases of hallucinations,
where females labored under the belief
that they had been struck or stabbed
by others, even after having in
ficted blows andiwounds upon themselv es.
In once instance young woman was found
by her husband lying on the floor of her
room in a fainting fit, her face covered
with blood. On reviving from her swoon
she stated that she had been attacked by
armed men. the Paris newspapers related
the case, and within three weeks two SINH
lar events occurred in the French metrop-
oils. All these cases proved to be fabri-
Gated by the supposed victims. A young
girl wounded herself slightly with pistol.
She gave the police authorities the most
minute details of an imaginary assassin,
who, according to her account, fired the
weapon, but she was found to
be highly hystericaI and it was
proved that she had wilfully
wounded herself. In third case in DR..
du Sanlle's experience, young woman
was found in railway carriage stabbed
in the left side. The incident caused great
excitement, but it was proved, contrary to
her assertions, that she had inflicted the
wound herself, and was hysterical sub
iect. A house maid was found lying be-
hind door, bound, gagged, and covered
with bruises. She stated that she had been
brutally attacked by two burglars with
blackenei faces, but she was highly hys-
terical woman, and there appears to have
been strong evidence that she had con-
triyed to tie her own hands, and
to gag and bruise herself. Perhaps the
strengest case of all occurred in NJ. Tar
deus practice. A young lady, living in
COurbevoie, wished to make herself an OBJ
ject of public interest by passing as VIC
tim of a political conspiracy, which she
pretended to have discovered. One night
she was found in state of the greatest
mental perturbation at the door of her
apartment. She could not talk, but stated
in writing that she had been attacked out
side her own house by man, who had at
tempted to garrote her, at the same time
striking her twice with a dagger. Only
the lady's clothing was injured, and the body
Of her dress and her corset were found to
be cut through, but at different levels. She
tried to make out that the attempt at
strangulation had caused dumbness. NJ
Tardieu remarked in her hearing that this
infrmity rapidly disappeared when pro-
duced under circumstances of this kind.
She soon managed to regain her speech
and in short time admitted that the
whole narrative had been developed out of
her inner consciousness. Eccentricity in
relatives is ever strongly presumptive OF
self-decaption when female makes any
statement of charges of i'll treatment of
any KIND. The constant fear of assassina.
| ton, especially if based on reasonable
grounds, is particularly liable te predis
pose nervous or excitable subjects to ex
traordinary decisions of this kind.