Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-03-15
GENERAL PARALYSIS.
THE DISEASE THAT NEVER SPARES
A VICTIM.
Facts Concerning Its Symptoms and Prog
ress-Some of the HalluelnatlOns of Suf-
ferers from Paresis-Boastfulnes Sue
Ceeded by Dreadful Hopelessness.

ferers from esis-lSoastfulness Sue
Ceeded by Dreadful Hopelessness.
With the single exception of leprosy, per-
haps, the most terrible disease known to mod
ern medi ,al science is that which has passed
into common speech under the name of pare
sis, 1t is even doubtful if there ought to be
any exception made 1t is disease which is
interesting and appalling almost beyond
measure. 1t is a decay of mind and body
which is exceedingly slow and gradual, but
absolutely certain and infinitely horrible.
No man or woman whom it ever attacked
ever recovered. Its victims are always in
middle life, in apparently the full flush of
health and vigor,
Erroneous popular impressions concerning
form of insanity which is so frequent and
SO much talked of are it seems very numer-
Gus. The idea that the disease is due prin-
cipally to excess is one. Again, the disease is
not to be confused with ''softening of the
brain" 1t is really hardening of the brain,
and the name "paresis" is really misnomer.
The proper name is general paralysis" ;" and
the disease is simply deterioration of
mans whole nervous organization.
General paralysis is disease of the gray
matter of the brain-the highest organic pro
duct in nature This is the substance which
reaches its highest development in middle
life, the seat of a mans faculties, whose uses
are called forth in the highest degree by the
European races who live in towns. Its abuses
by poisoning and overstrain are more com
mon under these circumstances A progress
sive and incurable disease of this mind tissue
causes the whole nervous system to die, sure
ly and progressively. Back of the decay of
the gray matterswas the over stimulation of
the small blood vessels Of the brain. Here,
strictly speaking, the disease begins. The
tissue Of these blood vessels, and hence the
gray nervous matter itself, degenerates
HOW IT BEGINS.
The beginnings of the disease are, for a
long time, utterly unnoticeable, even to the
trained eye of the physician. When they do
become noticeable the disease is far advanced.
The sufferer himself goes about his business
as usual, recognizes his friends, and has no
apparent hallucinations. Finally his friends
notice that he is not just the same He com
plains of headaches, perhaps. The physician
is called in, and perhaps the disease has not
progressed SO far but that the physician gives
the same advice. But finally all these symp-
toms become more marked, with the single
exception that all the headaches disappear,
and the man declares that he feels wonder
fully well, ," or that he never felt better in
his lfe.n He acts peculiarly" and yet has
strange new schemes for making large sums
of money in his business or in outside specu-
lation. The doctor is again called in, and
this time looks at the man with sharper eye.
He notices that the man, with his unceasing
exaggeration of statement, has hesitancy of
speech, talks a little thickly, and stammers
some; he slurs little in pronouncing long
sentences or in articulating words with many
consonants in them His voice is pitched in
a little higher key. He walks with Il kind of
sidelong shuttle or shamble, and takes steps a
good deal shorter than he used to. He has
lost somewhat in weight The muscles round
his lips and eyes twitch, and the pupil of one
eye is q little larger than the other His
tongue twitches, too, when he runs it out |
His skin is slightly moist and hot and his
pulse is full. All his sensations are slightly |
dulled. He often cannot distinguish between
colors cannot hear distinctly sometimes can
not oteven smell pepper, or tell the difference be-
tween whisky and vinegar. The doctor draws
a circle with dot in the center, and asks the
man to bring the point of lead pencil down
perpendicularly upon the dot The man will
bring the point down good ways from the |
dot. The doctor touches the mans knee
gently and it jerks Lack of control over the
muscles is evident
BECOMES A BoAsTER.
The doctor tells the man to "keep quiet"
and stake rest,n and so forth, but privately
tells the mans family that the patient has
general paralysis, In nine cases out of ten
the family refuse to believe anything of the
kind They insist that the father or husband
has simple nervous prostration; that it is
folly to call him insane, and it would be an
outrage to confne him in an asylum. But in
q few months their minds are disabused. The
great business schemes and plans OF the vic
tim are soon seen to be hallucinations. He
makes purchases and contracts far in advance
of his means. He makes astounding gifts to
strangers. He brags continually of his grand
health and his glowing prospects. II he is
man at all accustomed to the use of money,
he goes about making overtures for the pur
chase, at enormous rates, of hotels, horses,
railroads, buildings, stock companies-every-
thing His boastfuness turns into evident
delusions. He Is the best rider, or jumper, or
walker, or card player, or fencer, or fighter
in the world. He offers to make matches in
all these and every kind of sport between
himself and any one for fabulous sums of
money. He becomes more like maniac
daily He rushes around, talking excitedly,
gesticulating wildly, exposing himself to all
sorts of physical perils He is dangerous at
this time, not because he is ugly or vicious,
but because he is bold in the extreme, and
has absolutely no fear Of consequences He
finally has to be placed in restraint.
This is the first stage of the dreaded "pare-
sis" In the second stage the mans exalta-
ton and excitement wears off. He becomes
fat and stupid The expression Of his face is
utterly vacant. He agrees with all that is
said to him and is easily managed. He is apt
to fall down in walking. He picks up and
stuffs into his pockets all the stuff he can lay
his hands upon. There is no vigor in any
thing he does He talks to himself in bed at
night in an automatic way. He has his delu-
sions, but he only speaks about them in a
silly way when he is asked. He sometimes
barks and growls when he is alone The first
two stages last from two to four years, and
then comes the third and last. The stages
shade into each other with infinite graduation.
In the last stage the mans whole being has
been described as that of "happy lethargy."
He is so paralyzed that he cannot walk or
stand steadily, and finally lies like wood upon
bis bed. He cannot feed himself, and he can
not eat anything but liquid or minced food,
for he bolts his food whole He is wonder
fully greedy for his food. He cannot utter
an ineligible sound. He will finally become
so paralyzed that voluntary motion of any
kind will cease in him, and he will die of
physical exhaustion. New York Sun.
A whim in the prevailing taste for odd Jew
slry is shown in a white and gold bracelet.
The design is a linked one of squares enam-
eled and Roman polished oblongs alternating.
Another flower pattern has tiny daisies and