The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-12-09
BILE fact is that these vast Illusions are meant

ing them desire to be great benefactors, and
they are fond of comforting imaginary
honors and grandiose titles
While the patient Is under the domination
OF the different illusions he is more OF less
influenced by his surroundings and is very
apt to become violent and abusive when his
illusions are questioned or his powers
doubted,
The legal aspects Of these earlier svmp-
toms is matter of great deal of i'm
portance, because very often the disease
may have made very great Roadway before
! IL is thought necessary to take measures
| tor the protection of the individual ani 0is
interests, and in that interim he will We y
often give his money away, or enter into
lllusory and foolish speculations. Or, on
| the other hand he may be made the means
| OF perpetrating fraud upon 9th rs, as in the
cases that occurred in France about five
| years ago, In one case a physician, and in
the other friend of two men in whom they
elected the earlier symptoms of paresis.
effected insurance for large amounts upon
the lives or the affected persons, who eS-
capped detection by the examiners of the
insurance companies. but were both dead
within three years. In one case at least,
the amount OF the insurance was recovered,
| but the fraud was beyond question. The
early physical symptoms. showing disease Of
the Drain consist Of slight variations in the
| speech, muscular weakness and imperfect
coordination Or i harmonious action. A
| period OF cerebal congestion of the brain
| frequently precede3 other demonstra-
| tions of the disease and may occasion VIC.
lent headaches and Insomnia, with nervous
ness. tendency to flashing up in sudden an
| ger, and extreme irIta bility.
after the illusions of grandeur, there
may be sudden remission of the symptoms,
which will cause friends to think t at tae
patient has recovered and that the physi-
| clans have erred in their diagnosis. That
period of apparent recovery may last for
several months, but Inevitably the appar-
ent sanity suddenly vanishes, the illusions
return with greater force than before, and
thenceforth e disease progresses, with
possible occurrence OF shorter and shorter
periods of delusive apparent sanity, steadily
toward the inevitable end. The case Of
Prouse-Cooper with W ich was connected,
was an illustration Of tbs natural progress
of events. He was not patient of mine,
but l examined him in medico-legal w Y,
"As the disease progresses in the brain,
the body wastes away, becomes feeble, the
muse es are powerless, and a condition Of
paralysis sets in. Toward the end the pa
tent, incapable of motion or consciousness,
droOls saliv a from his open mouth, sees moth
ing with his lack lustre eyes, and gradually
fades away. At last comes death.
THE disease seldom lasts more than three
years, but there is a modified form where it
may last for ten years. Only alcoholic cases
are quite long. Men are nearly always its
victims, and generally under 40 or at most
d years of age. Probably not more than
one per cent. Of the cases are women. Sy-
philis, alchol, and Irregular hours are great
causes of it, the popular idea that GER
tain morbid excuses produce paresis is
allacy, but in the first stages of the disease
=, $500 .v, Ill
and there is nothing too outrageous for the
victim in things concerning his appetites
and vices.
"Great mental fatigue, with recourse to
stimulants, either alcoholic or other excit-
ants, is great cause of paress. A man VINO
will work hard and perhaps excitedly, all
day long, keeping himself up to his task
with the fictitious energy Of the delusive
cocktail or other alcoholic beverages and
so maintaing congested condition of his
brain. is favorng disease of the blood
vessels of the brain which results in paresls.
They become enlarged, tortuous, with
aneurisms here and there. The indiscrimi-
nate use Of powerful drugs TO stimulate the
brain is very apt to leave an effect similar
to that produced by alcohol in inducing ;he
disease. OF course the use of phosph eric
acid and such thi gs, by direction of COIN
petent physician, may at certain stage
be helpful, but, as rule, true paresiS when
started cannot be stopped.
SIT is very dramatic disease in its ex-
preston, and cases Of it frequently come
before the public because it induces extra
VACANT acts, the mental disturbance oc-
curing in the midst of apparent health.
The case of George J.. Fox, the pantomimic
clown, was one of that kind, AMI there
have been several such among the players.
The excitements, mental efforts and irregu-
larities of their lives are predi posing, or
producing causes of this disease and it may
well happen that their very brilliancy, for
which they are imired, is at times but the
CLEAN of insanity that finally makes itself
known by some outburst that clearly indi
Gates the nature of the malady. / am well
assured that in some cases-Ihat of McCul-
Tough, for instance-great injustice has been
done to the memories of sadly afflicted men
by the scandalous tongue of popular rumor
in assigning the supposed cause of their
affection"
Dr.. Hamilton was asked if it was true,
as reported, that Robert Garrett, who is
his patient, is victim of paresis. He de-
clined di cussion of the case, but said he
thought it twas not necessarily incurable."
That, taken in connection with his prev GUS
expressions as to the practical certIinty of
fatal results in paresis, may be considered
as tantamount to denial that that is the
disease affecting the Baltimore millionaire.
DAVID WFCHSLER