The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1885-01-10
HALLUCINATIONs.
Philadelphia Times.l

This is singular case, sure enough,
said young physician yesterday; "but |
there are great many diseases which |
exist only in the imaginations of their
supposed victims" The doctor had been
reading the story of a man who thought
himself victim of heart disease until the
physician discovered the "creaking
sound" of which he complained whenever
he took deep breath, was caused by a
little pulleywheel on pair of suspend
ers which he wore. The doctor laughed
and laid down his paper.
"This is the first case | ever heard of
where suspenders were to blame" said
he, "but great deal of what passes for
heart disease is mild dyspepsia. Nerv-
business is an aristocratic name for irrita
bility and bad temper, and wo-thirds of
the so-called malaria is nothing but lazi-
ness. A fellow practitioner once told me
of an old lady he knew of in Newbury-
pOTI, AassdciuScttS. onc ibs hoPo HSi
bed for three years, and in spite of her
| physicians assurances she believed her
self hopelessly paralyzed. One night her
grandson got up ghost to scare her and
the old lady ran half mile before they
could catch her.
"The longer hallucinaton is INDUCED
in the more deeply rooted it becomes.
In many cases it ultimately develops into
monomania Or delusional insanity. DIR.
s. Weir Mitchell performs many of his
most remarkable cures of so.called nerv-
Gus diseases simply by his wonderful sue
cess persuading patients that nothing on
earth ails them. Few physicians have
the ability to do this, and still fewer
have the discretion to adopt course OF
treatment adapted to the mental pecu'
liarities of each peculiar case. Some
: times persuasion is necessary, but fire.
quently little tonic, combined with &
good scolding, produces the desired re
: suit
"When a delusion is harmless it il
: often the best plan to humor it. A rela
tive of mine, who was clergyman, liveC
for several years in my family. He firml,
| believed that he could not sleep afte
preaching on Sunday night unless he wa
g put under the influence of an opiate
Time and again have seen him dose oi
soundly as tired child after taking
a teaspoonful Of sweetened water, which
r had prescribed as 'morphia. Withou
e this harmless little dose, however, h
e would toss about restlessly for hours.
"The negroes indulge some very funn
e superstitions about diseases and thei
e cures. One of the things of which the
# have peculiar horror is the common di
h ficulty known as elongation of the palatt
When was practising as newly hedge
l. student in Virginia an old negress calle
l. on me one evening. Her hair was pulle
- | DaCk lTUHl ucT lOTtllelu dl[ huOttcu wa
cord in tight bunch on the crown
t, her head. She was evidently sutferir
d from cold.
,e MARS doctor, she said, Use afra
y Use got fallin' oh de palate. Use dol
't tied my har' as hard as l can, but it dor
s, peer to make it no better, an | spec
Is mebby need some pills.
n 81 examined her throat and foul
s. nothing the matter but slight inHamm
n, tion. I don't think you need any pill
Mt antie, said /. III you can only get yo
hair tied up little closer for day
is two, l have no doubt your palate W
IN shorten up all right She came in aga
lis in few days and told me she was mu
es better, but her old man had tied h
lis hair so hard that she had to sleep wi
Oh her eyes opened, ''cause she COULD
IT. even make wink"