The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-04-21
Hallucinations of Women.

~Ss~@
Recent circumstances have directed
attention to certain remarkable de-
lusions to which females of UNI
stable nervous equilibrium are sub
Iect, either through hysteria orsimilar
disorders of the nervous system.
Charcot and Bonneville give in
stances of the extraordinary self-de-
ceptions that are frequent among
hysterical patients. DR.. Legrande du
Saulle, physician to the Salpetriere,
Paris, describes in his standard work,
lies Hysteriques." some remark
able cases of hallucination, where
females labored under the belief that
they have been struck or stabbed by
others, even after having inflicted
blows or wounds upon themselves.
In one instance young woman was
found by her husband lying on the
floor of her room in fainting fit. her
face covered with blood. On reYiv-
ing from her swoon she stated that
she had been attacked by armed men;
the Paris newspapers related the case,
and within three weeks three similar
cases occurred in the French metrOp-
oils. All these cases proved to be
fabricated by the supposed victims.
A young girl wounded herself slight
ly with pistol. She gave the police
authorities the most minute details
about an imaginary assassin, 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 her.
self. In third cases in DR.. du Saul
les experience, young woman was
found in a 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 subject. A house
maid was found lying behind door,
bound. gagged and covered with
bruises. She stated that she had been
brutalIy attacked by two burglars
with blackened faces, but she was
highly hysterical woman, and there
appears to have been strong evidence
that she had contrived to tie her own
hands and to gag and bruise herself.
Perhaps the strangest case of all oc-
cured in M. Tardieu's practice. A
young lady living at Courbevoie
wished to make herself an object Of
public interest by passing as victim
of a political 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 apartment. She could
not talk, but stated in writing that
she had been attacked outside her
own house by man, who had at
tempted to garrote her, at the same
time striking her twice with dag
ger. 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.
M. Tardieu remarked in her hearing
that this infirmity rapidly disappear
ed when produced under circum-
stances of this kind. She soon man.
aged to regain her speech, and in a
short time admitted that the whole
narrative had been developed out of
her inner consciousness. Eccentricity
in relatives is ever strongly presump-
tive of self-deception when a female
makes any statement or charges of
illtreatment of any kind. The con-
slant fear of assassination, especially
if based on reasonable grounds, is
particularly liable to predispose nerv-
Gus or excitable subjects to extraor-
binary decisions of this kink.-Brit-
iSh Medical Journal.