The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-04-16
A MIND DISEASED.
Bogus Surgical Operation Man Who
Thoughts He Had Tumor.

ThoughS He Had q Tumor.
Chicago Mail
II have had some strange experiences in my
practice" said West Side physician. 81 have
met many queer specimens of diseased humani-
~, but think the most unique incident in my
career was when performed bogus operation
on man who was mentally diseased and phys
icaly sound; and, stranger yet, the operation
cured him, although his ai.mene was in the
brain and the operation deception. One
ming young man called at my Office, and, after
the usual questions as to what could do for
him and so on, he told me that he was suffering
from tumor In his stomach I thought it
rather odd that he should be so positive as to
the nature of disease which often battles the
best diagnossts. I asked him if he had had any
medical advice, and he replied that be had not,
but that he could easily feel the tumor with his
finger. This / knew TO be impossible, but I
said nothing and asked him as to his symptoms
little questioning revealed to me the fact my
form Of nervousness known by the
generic name of hysteria. although
such title is q misnomer when
applied to q masculine subject. This young
man, who. he told me, a book-keeper in a
large downtown business house, insisted that
his habit of leaning against the edge of stand
humorous growth. and he desired thai should
remove it by an operation. A careful examina-
ton convinced me that there tumor in
tbs young mans stomach, and that his ailment
was purely imaginary | tried form of faith
cure on him. endeavoring to persuade him that
he was mistaken, but he seemed hurt to think
that doubted his word as to his own feelings
of pain. Then became angry, and intimated
in almost rude language that he was fool.
He went away and thought was rid of him.
/ was mistaken. A few days afterward roy
hysterical patient came to me again, and with
tears In his eyes begged me to remove the
swelling which he said was destroying his
life I then reasoned with him. telling
him plainly the nature of his trouble; that it Was
a nervousness which plenty of exercise in the
open air and a temporary relief from business
would socn remove He promised to act on
1xyfna ARzRI aceS0S1
of his face that he had faith in my opinion
prescription. About week afterward was
called a house West Adams street The
place was not familiar to me. but / recognized
the name as that of my cranky patient. I
went there and found the young man in a most
pitiable condition. He had shrunken almost
to skeleton His eyes, surrounded by deep.
black circles, suoken in his head. and his
face has that shriveleo appearance which is
produced BY intense pain He complained of
terrible suffering from the tumor and begged
me for the love of God to remove it / saw
only one way relieve him. and that to
make him believe had performed an operation.
remove the tumor by operation, and in the
meantime, told him. he should take all the
nourishment he could assimilate.
1T went the next day, and went prepared.
had my case of instruments. which spread out
on table by the bedside before him with great
show. When he saw the cruel-looking, keen
edged knives and scalpels. and the forceps, and
the saw, and all the implements used by the
Surgeon to mutiate the human frame, that
young mans eyes actually frightened with joy.
An ordinary patient would have been scared
half TO death, and would have taken the same
care to conceal my "tools" that in this instance
I took to display them. I had my anasthetic
apparatus, also, and had, besides, something
which did not show the patient. This q
small piece of grIstle cut from q soup hone
which was being prepared by my cook to furn-
ish forth our dinners first I cut this
gristle INFO size and shape corresponding to
the patients idea of his tumor and concealed it
in towel which placed on the bed.
II then administered to him enough an@s-
thetc to render him only partially unconscious.
Compiete anasthesa would not have answered
my scheme Then barred his body, and with a
rather blunt knife, so that it would hurt him
considerably, made small. ekin-deep incision
over his abdomen. He felt 1T. as intended he
should. followed this with some rough iabs
with needle. though sewing up the wound.
and having put a few strips of
sticking D laster, the work was done. The
piece of griste, or bogus tumor, I had, while Ak
ing mp the cut, slipped up to get IL covered
with blood that flowed from the little wound
and when had drawn the sheet over the pa
tient showed him the .tumor which had re-
moved His eyes fairly glistened he gazed,
as he thought on the cause of all his woe. He
wanted to keep it and preserve il in alcohol, but
feared some doctor might see it and spoil the
good effect of my work by exposing the benef-
cial sell had practiced. and | refused to give it
70 him. He fully recovered in a week so,
and was never afterward troubled with 'tum-
Or. He has left the city now, I should not
have told the story"