Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-03-09
NERVOUS PEOPLE.
VARIOUS VAGARIES WHICH ACCOM-
PANY AN AMERICAN DISEASE.

| The Man Who Clears His Throat-Pu1ling
at the nGustache-Last Stages of Ner-
yous Affiiction-Trick of Victim of
Insomnia.
''What do you think of nervous tricks and
habits, doctor?" asked a reporter of DR..
| Charles Fl. Hughes, at the physicians office.
| "Their serious consideration would fill
| your paper" he answered ''But of what
may best be characterized as tricks and petty
mannerisms possessed by so many people, L
would say that they are only too often the
precursors of a graver nervous condition;
the initial warnings of nature, as it We're, of
the election in which the system is tending.
Often, to be sure, these habits never become
worse, the condition of the nervous system
giving rise to them recovering through some
fortuitous circumstance. There are sudden
starts, the patient is easily frightened dis
turbing the motor area of the brain and Civ
ing rise to semi-spasmodic actions. What
physicians call the inhibitory power of the
brain to arrest morbid influences becomes
impaired SO that what the mind would usu-
ally restrain passes into action. The mind
has the ability to enforce such restraint, but
action affords much relief that the stlf-
ferer acquiesces, and nervous habits newly
acquired, are the result.
awe have all seen the practices into which
nervous people fall. There is the man who
clears his throat or coughs, when he has never
, the sign of cold, or who yawns when he has
no reason whatever to feel bored. Others
| will twitch their beard or mustache, pull at
their clothing or buttons or pick and bite at
their finger nails until the blood runs Then
there are other such familiar evidences of
embarrassment as the continual shifting of
| the position when in company, and this, to-
| gether with a tendency to automatic and alb
sent minded actions when not dependent on
profound mental preoccupancy, may be
| often taken indicating the approach of
nervous prostration. When one gets very
nervous, marked habits of irritation appear;
familiar and naturally agreeable sounds
such as the prattle of chidren-become an
moving. Insomnia will set in, the repair of
| the system becomes unequal to the daily de-
mand, and the result is seen in irregularities
of regulated movements. Some people viii
! Jerk and twitch their bodies when they fall
asleep, from an irregular explosion of motor
nerve force, the energy of spinal cell bacom-
ing suddenly liberated. This same condition
of things higher up in the brain gives rise to
inopportune and incomplete ideation, disturb
| capacity of the brain to secure its own timely
4 repose is impaired.
! Gin still graver states of nervous troubles
may be observed morbid fears some of them
most peculiar There are people afflicted
| with monophobia, or the fear Of being alone,
which is a most peculiar condition of the
| mind. knew lawyer who would never
dare to appear in court for the purpose of
| pleading e case when unaccompanied by his
| wife or some other member of the family.
When so supported he would argue well and
| at length, but otherwise an indefinable terror
of something that might happen-he knew
not what-would seize him and render him
| powerless. Then there are victims Of claus
! trophobia, or the fear of going through mar
row places, and l have known people to be
in mortal terror when proceeding along any
| but the broadcast thoroughfares, lest the houses
should close in on them and crush them. An
throphobia and gynephobia, the one the fear
| of crowds and of men, and the other the fear
of women, are not uncommon. These and
| similar troubles, associated with morbid
sounds in the ears, are symptoms of what has
| oeen termed American nervousness, or neu-
rasthenia, it being first discovered by Amer
lean physicians. Again, we have perversion
| of smell and taste, all local causes being
| absent; cases of people who smell smoke when
there is none at hand and the prediction of
| school girls for chalk and ground slate pencils
| The liking for alcohol is often matter Of
| the nerves and even acquired tastes for
various articles of food and drink may be
! traced to the same cause.
| "One of the saddest symptoms OF nervous
| ness, and one which in many instances marks
the last stages of the affection, is the indecs-
| ion of men previously remarkable for yigor
and the rapidity with which they graspeI
| conclusions and acted on their convictions.
But perhaps the most characteristic Of all
J nervous troubles is tho fear of personal con-
/ tamination, which appears to have developed
more since the advancement of the basoilii
| theory, and which so affects some persons
| that they will not shake hands or otherwise
| come into actual contact with their neigh
| bors"
In connection with this last certain gen
| tleman well known in st. Louis but now
| dead, may be recalled by many i'll whom was
| developed in remarkable degree this fear
| of contamination. He wore gloves, and not
| only would not shake hands, but had the
| greatest aversion to touching any one sitting
next him in a street car. Many people there
are who have some one nervous affection that
| never develops into anything worse, and
which is merely source Of ANNOYANCE to the
afflicted. One gentleman found it impossible
to sleep at times and after chasing imaginary
sheep over imaginary fences without avail,
bethought himself of tracing the figure ''S''
ON the ball of his thumb with the forefineer
of the same hand. This intricate process at
tanned the desired end, but unfortunately be-
came such matter of habit that it was con-
tinued in waking hours, and when last heard
from the victim was unconsciously laboring
TO l,111 oc1oo i,, tlor RI
These are but few of the many types of
nervous men that every one encounters.
That they could be reduplicated by the score
goes without saying, but lest the reader be
added to the long list of unfortunates, itBlay
be just as well to let the medical books tell
the rest.-St. Louis Republican.