Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-05-04
FEMALE HALLUCINATIoNs,

Interesting Facts Cruelty Recalled
Apropos of Lady Florence Dixie.
From the British Medical Journal.
Recent circumstances have directed
attention to certain remarkable delu-
sions to which females of unstable ner-
vous equilibrium are subjected, either
through hysteria or through similar dis
orders of the nervous system. Charcot
and Bonneville give instances of the
extraordinary self-deceptions that are
frequent amongst hysterical patients.
DIR. Legrand du Saulle, physician to the
Saipetrire, Paris. describes in his stand
ard work, lies Hysteiques," some re-
n1arkable cases of hallucination, where
females labored under the belief that
they have been struck or stabbed by
others, even after having inflicted blows
and wounds upon themselves. In one
instance a young Woman was found by
her husband lying on the floor of her
room IN a fainting tit, 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 similar events
occurred III the French metropolis. All
V Sfs7Sc PloNCb W DO ldDIlCdLGu- by
the supposed victims. A young girl
wounded herself Slightly with a pistol.
She gave the police authorities the most
minute details about an imaginary assas-
sin, who, according to her account, fred
the weapon, but she was found to be
highly hysterical and it was proved that
she had wilfully wounded herself. In a
third case in DR.. du Saulls experience,
a young woman was found in railway
carriage, stabbed N the left side. The
incident caused great excitement, but it
was proved, contrary to her ,assertations,
that she had inflicted the wound herself,
and was a hysterical subject. A house,
maid was found lying behind a door,
She stated that she had been brutallv
attacked by two burglars with blackened
faces, but she was @ highly hysterical
woman andthere appears to have strong
evidence that she had contrived to tie
her own hands and to gag and bruise
herself. Perhaps the %strangest case of
all occurred in Mr.. .Tardieu's practice.
A young lady living at C%ourbevoie Wish
ed to make herself an object of public
interest by passing SIS a victim of a poiit-
lcal conspiracy, which she pretended to
have discovered. One night she was
found in a state OF the greatest mental
perturbation at the door of her apart
ment. She could talk, but stated in
writing that she had been attacked out
side her own house by a man, who had
attempted to garrote her, at the same
time striking her twice with a dagus-,
Only the lady's clothing was injured end
the body of her dress and corset were
found to be cut through, but at different
levels. She tried to make out that the
attempt at strangulation had caused
dumbness. M. Tardieu remarked, in
her hearing, that this intirmity rapidly
disappeared when produced under cir
cumstances Of this kind. She soon
managed to regain her spe ech, and in a
short time admitted that the whole mar
rative had been developed out of herin-
ner consciousness. Eccentricity in rel
atiyes is ever strongly presumptive of
self-deception when a female makes any
statement or charges of i'll treatment of
any kind. The constant fear of s ssh
nation. especially if based on reasonable
grounds, is particularly liable to predis-
pose nervous or excitable subjects to ex-
traordinary decisions of this kind.