The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-03-20

GENERAL PARALYSIS.
THE DISEASE THAT NEVER SPARES
A VICTIM.

Facts Concerning It's Symptoms and Prog
ress-Some of the HallucInatlons of Suf-
ferers from observation-disclosures Sue
eeeded by Dreadful Hope1essness.
With the single exception of leproSy, per
haps, the most terrible disease known to mod
ern medical science is that which has passed
into common speech under the name of pare
sis. It is even doubtful If there ought to be
any exception made. It is disease which is
interesting and appalling almost beyond
measure It 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
a form of insanity which is so frequent and
SO much talked OF are, it seems, very nuner-
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 Inisnomer.
The proper name is general paralysis" and
the disease is simply a 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 mans faculties, whose uses
are called forth in the highest degree by the
European races who live in towns. It's 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 matter was 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 Authorizations 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
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, y or that ne never felt better in
his life" 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 little thickly, and stammers
some; he slurs little in pronouncing long
sentences or in articulating words with many
consoDants in them. His voice is pitched in
a little higher key. be walks with 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 little larger than the other. His
tongue witches, 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 even smell pepper, OF tell the difference be-
tween whisky and vinegar. The doctor draws
q circle with a dot in the center, and asks the
man to bring the point Of a 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