Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-30
FORMS OF DELIRIUM.
Remarkable Pigments of a Tempo
rarily Disordered Brain
OBSERVED AT A CITY HOSPITAL,
Chains Of Imaginary Events With All the
Vividness of Reality.
HYPNoTISM IN HYsTERIA AND MANIA
WRITTEN FOR THR DIsPATcH.I

tions of delirium which recently came un-
der my observation in city hospital. They
we're remarkable for the vividness of the
scenes to the patient, while he talked and
acted nationally enough in other ways dur
ing the existence of these fancies, quickly
realized they were delusions, and yet in
sisted that nothing in real life was ever
more deeply engraved upon his memory.
While lying in bed in his private room in
the hospital reading one evening, he sud-
denly heard the voice of a well-known
friend. "Why. what in the world ever
brought him here?" was the first puzzled
thought of the patient. The next questions
were, "W here is he? and to whom is he
talking?" There was close listening for a
few moments and the astonished patient
found that the friend was in the Office of the
hospital, and talking with the Superin-
tendent. and about himself (the patient).
THE FRIENDS MIND WRONG.
Then there ensued perhaps half-hour
a conversation, perfectly rational and plaus-
ible at the beginning, upon subject not
necessary to relate, but which presently
further astonished the patient because it in
dicated that something was wrong with his
evident as the talk of the friend was pro-
longed, insomuch as the Superintendent
finally remarked to the friend. Don't you
think it would be wise thing to have some
one look after you?"
This made the friend angry but he kept
on talking until his speech became simply
the reiteration over and over again of the
same statement. 1t was so evident that he
had become suddenly and violently insane
that he was seized and taken to padded
cell in the basement of the hospital, where,
for an hour or more, he kept yelling at the
top of his voice variation of one theme.
The patient was deeply moved for the suf-
fering of his friend and wondered why no
one was notified of the mans misfortunes.
Presently, after the friend, through sheer
physical exhaustion. ceased the noise in his
cell, the patient heard another well-known
voice talking to the Superintendent about
the astounding and sudden insanity of his
friend and upbraiding the Superintendent
for not having given notice at once of the
case,
EVEN TO DETAILS.
It was agreed that it was better to leave
him in the cell that night and take steps in
the morning for his removal. Then quickly
aiterward another friend called to learn the
particular of the Superintendent concern
ing the case. These were told, with great
precision of detail, by an attendant in the
office, to each caller.
Long after midnight the patient heard
his insane friend once more. He had
awakened and seemed to be restored IN de-
gree to sanity, as IN a natural voice he be-
gan to ask himself where he was, and won
dered how it was he happened to be locked
up and what was the cause. Then, suddenly,
his mania returned and he was restless and
noisy for some time, finally quieting down
until after daylight. when he again
awakened once more talking nationally. He
began to go through the old letters IN his
pocket to see what they were, reading them
aloud. Several he read calmly and tore up,
but finally ne found one that aroused his
ire, and he began disappearing the writer of
it and the subject. This was continued un-
til about o'clock in the morning, when a
carriage was brought and he was removed to
some other place, where the patient yainly
tried to ascertain from the hospital nurses
and attendants.
1t was not more than an hour later that
the patient began to doubt if there was any
truth whatever in all the exciting incidents
to which he had been an unwilling listener.
A pointed question put to nurse convinced
him that it had been delusion, notwith-
standing all its vividness and apparent CO.
herency.
A PECULIAR HALLUCINATION.
In the afternoon of the same day when
the patient was again reading, preferring to
read rather than attempt to talk with a
very dull attendant he was annoyed by the
going on in the surgical ward,
on the floor above him. One man seemed
inclined to monopolize attention and con-
made oracular remarks about what
others were saying, to which the other pa
tients in the ward did not take kindly.
Finally some chance remark about book
keeping gave this Sir Oracle an opportunity
to become more oracular than ever.
81 think l know more about that SUBJ
ject," he said, "than any person in the room;
yes, or in the city, either. have been a
bookkeeper for Al years. There are book
keepers and bookkeepers, but not one in a
hundred deserves the title. Do you know
how many books it takes to keep books
Why, it requires eight"
All other persons stopped talking to listen
to him except one boy who had been
brought in with broken leg who would |
swear and yell with pain every few minutes
despite the efforts of the nurses.
"And why does it require eight books?"
the old man went on. Because each is a |
check against the other, and if an error is |
made it can be found; it is impossible not to |
find it.
There was pause for few minutes while |
.he talker evidently gathered strength and |
.he closer attention OF his auditors. 81 will |
give you an illustration, he said. He then |
spoke briefly, but in a surprisingly intelli- |
gent manner, OF the ramifcations OF cer-
ain class of business with which the patient |
was thoroughly familiar.
THE OLD BooKKEEPER's STORY.
'The head of one department OF this bust
1ess," he continued. sis allowed, certain
lmount of money to run that department
At the end of the year he found a discrep-
lncy in his accounts Of S13, 900, according TO
MS own books. L was well acquainted with
his manager, and he consulted me. He
.old me that while his own books did not
ioot up right, both the cashier and the gen.
,ral bookkeeper insisted that his accounts
we're all right, even though his books were
wrong. / looked at his books-books?
Why, he only had day-book, a mere
The cashier and the general
both kept regular sets of books.
My dear fellow said to him, you
lon't suppose you have kept books, do you?
Do you think you can tell anything about
your transactions by re erring to such mem
,randa as these? The bookkeeper is right
light and you are wrong. The bookkeeper
S right and you are wrong. The bookkeep-
n is right and you are wrong"
'Oh bother the bookkeeper being right.
What's the use of saying it SO many times?"
Interrupted gruff voice.
"Why do say it SO often?' replied the
I'D man. 81 said it eight times because
he general bookkeeper had eight checks
gainst my friend and had eight chances
lay, certainties-of being right, where nv
riend had no check whatever against the
'ookkeeper, nor even against himself. Do