Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-04-05
PAREsIs is FAST SPREADING.
Some Startling Facts About This
Insidlous Disease of the Brain.

I
says: "Paresis is perhaps the most
widespreading disease of the present
day. said well-known physician, who
/ has among his patients the wealth and
flower of New York society, to Sun
day Post Dispatch correspondent. 1T
is becoming more prevalent than it
used TO be, in fact, feel safe in saying
that ii has increased twofold within the
past five years. Ii is the malady of our
civilization, or rather il seems to adj
vance with the nations progress.
lit is largely due to the high tension
of the average business mans mind,
and it ultimately breaks down the brain
/ tissue and leaves him helpless wreck.
just watch him! He is always on the go,
never stopping in his planning and
] scheming ont some new venture that he
/ hopes will bring him independent for
tune and place him above his COMPETE
/ tors. This is the sort of strain that
will disorganize almost any brain. Such
"a mans mind is never at rest even when
he sleeps. His sleep is unnatural, and
he is apt to be harrassed by dreams,
and he wakes up in the morning more
l
/ he went to bed the night before.
"Only few days ago one OF my pa
| tients consulted me in regard to this
very matter. He is very rich man,
and his wealth has been made within
/ the past decade, III | could only sleep
rs used when | did fair days work
in the mine every day I'd feel all right,
| doctor. said he, but | don't think
ever will. Then I'd 60 to bed and roll
over, and that would be the last of my
consciousness until | awoke at day
break. fresh and hearty with an appe-
/ tite like horse. 1t is different now.
! When | don't lie awake tossing about
| dream that am in the Office devising
some new scheme or presiding at Il
stormy meeting of stockholders. It's
work all the time, night and day, and
it is wearing me out
Before subjecting the man TO an ex-
animation | inquired into his story.
His story was that OF a person threat
ened with paresis, and "a physical in
vestigation bore out my suspicious. OF
course il wouldn't have been well for
me TO tell him the exact state OF affairs,
so | simply told him that it was case
OF nervous prostration, and while as
surfing him that il was not serious,
cautioned him to be very careful or
else he might develop into a confirmed
invalid. Above all things j ordered
him to leave his business for a few
months and travel. | didn't give him
a dose OF medicine, but advised him to
live out in the open air as much as pos
sible and take as much plain, simple
food as he required.
brains are not made OF steel and
nerves are not copper wires. Take the
Wall street men, for instance. | have
n number OF them who have been con-
sulting me for long time seeking re-
lief, and who are slowly going towards
paresis, which sooner or later means
death. Robert Garrett as far as am
TO Judge without having seen his condi-
ton, is inflicted in this way and | don't
suppose he will ever recover. He is Il
man of delicate sensibilities, and the
constant fear Of losing his wealth and
position among the railway magnates
brought on the disease.
"Paresis is slow and insidious. 1t
steals on man like thief in the
night, and he never realizes that the
destroyer has him in his tolls. y
'How do you treat such casesp"
"Well, that is difficult question to
answer. There are but few remedies
known TO our science that have pro-
duced good results, and their efficacy is
constantly disputed. Paresis is he
yond our knowledge of drugs and the
scalpel can not reach it. In all my
cases | advise perfect and absolute
rest. | try to show the patients that
the prostration is due TO over-appliCa-
ton TO work and tell them that it is
necessary TO take more relaxation and
forget worldly affairs and 90 in for en-
joyment To those who have large
means | advise a long sea voyage and
an extended tour of travelling abroad. y
'Do they follow your advice?n
Not often. You see. they are so
used 10 rush about the floor OF the
Stock Exchange from ten o'clock in the
morning until 3 in the afternoon, make
deals and such like, that il has become
second nature 10 them and they can't
bring themselves to give il up. They
ike it, and delude themselves into the
belief that the excitement OF the thing
Is as necessary 10 their lives and COM
fort as bread and meat.
just now | recall an instance OF Il
man who contracted paresis simply be-
cause he tried to force himself to ac-
complish feat that was mentally be-
yond his power. He is George Knight,
the actor He had a fair amount oil
success playing light, spontaneous
parts. when he conceived the idea that
his abilities lay in n more substantial
direction, and so he studied the charac.
ter of Baron Rudolph. altogether un.
suited 10 his talents. He studied hard
and conscientiouslv, and was deter.
mined to overcome all obstacles by per-
sistent work. 1t wore him out, and
before his friends were aware of it he
was wreck from paresis.
"Paresis is only n natural conse
quence of such conditions as | hav,
stated and one or two others, chiefly
our unnatural social vices and indulg
enccs. Perhaps it is because we are il
the critical period of our commercial
development and a yet have no settled
laws of living. IL is make money al