The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-03-01
NERVOUS rROSrRATION.

A clever medical writer says: ''ln
reply to the question. What is meant
by nervous prostration? | respond, u
disease usually functional, situated in
one or more organs, during the course
of which reflex disturbances of the.
brain occur, and numerous subjective
sensations in al parts of the body are
realized by the consciousness. To
this definition he adds the following re-
marks: "At the present time nervous
proStration is much feared; its symp-
tOmatology is Il common subject OF dis
cussion; and hence, if man Is familiar
with its character is arrested in his
career by some OF the ailments sup
posed to belong to it, his Imagination
readily supplies the rest. When man
begins the study of his bodily sensa-
tions, having "A certain model in his
mind, he has a little difficulty in filling
out the details, All the world knows
that when the attention is strongly
fixed on an organ OF the body function
al disturbances Of it ensue, and finally
structural changes may be induced.
No part of the body is without sensa-
ton, even in health. To perceive these
sensations the attention needs to be
withdrawn from external things and
concentrated on the part. Thus 1t is
when the subject of neurasthenia pur-
sues his introspection; he becomes con
scous of numerous sensations which,
because now felt for the first time, are
new. Under these circumstances, also,
the seat of conscious impressions be-
comes more accurately perceptlve
Suggestion adds its quota of symptoms.
ITO the indefinite and multiplying
nervous symptoms developing thus
subiectively must ue added the reflex
Headache, vertigo tinnitus aurlum,
Authorizations and Illusions, defects OF
speech paralysis, and reflex symptoms
on the part of the brain; paIpiatlon,
intermittent pulse, asthma, are among
the reilexes of the resp .ratory organs
and heart; neuralgia, aneSthesia, and
other disorders of the sensory nerves,
and local paralyses, affections OF the
motor nerves, included among the
nerve retleXes, may all be dependent
on reflex eXcitations proceeding from
the stomach. This popular complaint,
then. is not primary nervous disease,
but secondary one, originating in
some local disturbance whose Symp-
toms are magnitied and added to by
the morbid worrying OF the over-tlred
brain.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
From n report on American precious
stones, by Mr. Geo. +. kunz, 1t APP
pear, that some lightweight different
minerals occur in the United States
which have been used as gems, and
Twelve of these are found only IN the
United States. Systematic mining for
Gems is carried on ut only two places
n this country, VIZ: at Paris, Maine,
famed for its journal mes, Of which
probably more than $50, 900 worth
have been obtained ana at Stony
Point. \. c., which has thus far
welded some $500 worth of tourma-
line and hiddenite. In other cases
where gems are found they are either
met with accidentally, or occur IN con-
nection with other materials that are
being mined, or in small veins which
are only occasionally to be discovered.
Electrical science has furnished a
novelty Tor ladies' in the form OF u
series of luminous jewels which mas
been produced by Mons. Castor
Trouve, of Paris. These ornaments
consists OF glass coIored and cut to
i'm tate rubies, diamonds, etc, and
each mounted in an envelope con-
tain.ng tiny incandesccnt lamp,
winch is fed from smaA battery, car
ried about the person. The light gives
the glass through which it shines the
brilliant appearance of the stone imi-
tated.