Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-01-19
HYPoCHoNDRIA.
The Mysterious Element in the Mind
that Arouses Vague Apprehen-
slons. What Actually Cause It.


scientist touches a subject Of universal
importance. Few people are free from
the distressing evils which hypochon
dria brings. They come atall times and
are fed by the very flame which they
themselves start. They are dread
Of coming arrangement caused by
present Edisorder and bring about
more suicides than any other one thing.
Their first approach should be careful>
ly guarded;
Editors Herald;
1t is seldom | appear in print and l
should not do SO now did | not believe
myself in possession Of truths, the reva
lation of which will prove of ineslim.
able value to many who may see these
lines. Mine has been a trying expe>
rience. For many years | was cons
scious of a want of nerve tone. My
mind seemed sluggish and l felt GER
tain falling off in my natural condition
of intellectual acuteness, activity and
vigor presume this is the same
way in which an innumerable nun.
Der of other people feel, who like N.Y.
self are physically below par, but like
thousands of others [ paid no attention
TO these annoying troubles, attributing
them to overwork, and resorting to a
glass of beer or milk punch, which
would for the time invigorate and re-
leve my wearines.
After a while the stimulants COM
menced to disagree with my stomach,
my WEAKNESS increased, and | was
compelled to resort to other means to
find relief. If a physician is suffering
he invariably calls another physician
to prescribe for him, as he cannot see
himself as he sees others; so | called
physician and he advised me to try
little chemical food or bottle of hypo.
phosphates. | took two or three bot.
ties of the chemical food with no ap.
parent benefit. My lassitude and in
disposition seemed to increase, my food
distressed me. | suffered from neu.
ralgic pains in different parts of my
body, my muscles became sore, my
bowels we're constipated, and my pros
poets for recovery were not very flat
tering. | stated my case to another
physician, and he advised me to take
five or ten drops of Magende's solution
of morphine, two or three times a day,
for the weakness and distress of my
stomach, and blue pill every other
night to relieve the constipation. The
morphine produced such a deathly
nausea that l could not take it, and
the blue pill failed to relieve my con.
stipation.
In this condition passed nearly a
year, wholly unfit for business, while
the effort to think was irksome and
painful. My blood became impover>
ished, and ! suffered from incapacity
with an appalling sense of misery and
general apprehension of Gcomng evil.
Ipassed sleepless nights and was troubled
with irregular action of the heart, a
constantly teverish condition and the
) most excruciating tortures in my stom.
ach, living for days on lice water and
cruel, and, indeed, the digestive func
, tons seemed to be entirely destroyed
= 1t was natural that while in thi
condition | sh)uld become hypochon
drical and fearful suggestions of self
destruction occasionally presented them
selves experienced an insatabl
n desire for sleep, but on retiring woulo
lie awake for long time tormente,
# with troubled reflections, and when a
u last did fall into an uneasy stumble
= of short duration, it was disturbed b,
4 horrid dreams. In this condition | dc
IS termined to take trip to Europe, bu
b in spite of all the attention Of physician
n and change of scene and climate, | di
=" not improve and so returned home wit
no earthly hope of ever again bein
= able TO leave the house.
n Among the numerous friends thg
N called on me was one who had bee
u u afflicted somewhat similarly to mysel
"a but who had been restored to perfet
es health Upon his earnest recommer
10 Jot;on I hopop tho same Treatment