Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-06


all the way from 800, 900 up to many millions,
have been confined at Bloomingdale. Three
of them out of every five were afflicted with
the most rapid and fatal form of brain disease
paresis. which is swiftly progressive and in
evitably kills.
While comparatively rare among people gener-
ally paresis il the usual form of dementia
among spectators. 1t may be called the Wall
street disease. being the effect for which the
cause is found in long-cOntinued overstrain of
the nervous system. The gambler in stocks
Is not merely subjected continually to most
acute anxieties. but because his business is so
intensely stimulating he can only find amuse-
ment in artificial excitements. As rule he
drinks and dissipates otherwise. thus burning
the vital candle at both ends, until at length he
breaks down.
One of the earliest symptoms of paresis is
apt to be the delusion of expected wealth. The
victim, very likely unsupported az yet being in
sane, informs his friends that he has scheme
for making millions Of dollars off-hand On the
strength of his anticipated wishes he INDUCES
in the widest and most absurd Extravaganza
buying 500 dozen silk umbrellas for distribution
among his acquaintance or ordering a gross of
silver stewpans. If he is worth 800 900 he is
as likely as not to spend it all on diamonds for
his wife. Such an expenditure is q trife from
his point OF view, inasmuch he Is the
point of possessing unlimited means. Thus it
Is very common for such unfortunates to throw
away their entire fortunes before proper re-
straint can be put upon their actions.
STEALING woMEN's SHOES.
"One of the most extraordinary forms of in
sanity is a mania for stealing women's Shoes"
said DIR. William Elliott Dold physician in
charge at the Bloomingdale Asylum, Yesterday.
ut Is distinguished as disease by itself and
the Germans have named it 'frauenschustehl-
monomanie.' 1t is more common among men
than with the other sex. There is one case on
record of a young man whose sisters lost their
left shoes as fast as they could buy them. 1t
was always the left one of each pair that was
taken. For a long time the thefts remained a
mystery until one day the brother caught a young
woman in the street, threw her down, tore off
her left shoe and ran away with it. He was
captured and thus the secret was discovered
Another strange mental complaint is called the
insanity of doubt, the patient being unable to
make up his or her mind to do or not to do the
simplest thing. have known girl afflicted in
this way to stand for hours, celebrating
whether to button or not to button her coat
She would be equally incapable of deciding
whether she was willing to enter or to leave a.
room.
"Mysophobia is a species Of brain disease
which renders the unfortunate fearful of i'm
agined uncleanliness in everything. She will
not wear the same gloves or other garments
twice, and one young woman who Used to be
here would have spent all her time in the bath
il she had been permitted to do SO. In fact
she would not leave it unless compelled and
before she came to the asylum she did on one
occasion remain for twelve hours continuously
in the bath tub. Yet another form of mono
mania is a dread Of being shut in. The patient
has a horror of being in any inclosed space like
a room, particularly with the doors closed A
similar complaint is a dread of heights. But
more strange than any of these. perhaps. is
what the French call the folio a deux'-a de-
fusion shared by two persons. This sympa-
thetlc insanity is not uncommon. 1t may occur
with husband and wife. with brother and sister
or with other individuals who happen to be in
ttmately associated. For example, one will i'm
agine that he is pursued by enemies with de-
signs upon his life and the other will believe
confidently that such is the truth.
ALL PARTIALLY INSANE.
GAN Of these curious forms Of mania come
under the general head of 'paranoia,' or partial
insanity, the patient being apparently well in
mind save as to the particular weakness or
delusion suffered from. We observe that
society women who become mentally diseased
are usually afflicted with that form OF insanity
which is termed melsncholia, though why this
is SO nobody knows. II it is to be reasonably
surmised that their domestic relations are not
SO happy as those Of others Of their sex that
would account for it. You would naturally
suppose that women would be more docile when
insane than man, but the reverse is in fact the
case. 1t is the experience Of the physicians in
every asylum that the females under their
charge are much more difficult to manage than
the males. Furthermore, the women are more
noisy and are more given to using profane
language. 1t is a sad change brought about by
alienation of the mind, which very commonly
robs even the gentlewoman of all restraints OF
propriety and deiicacy.
when a woman between the ages Of twenty
five h1ipO vet iad ouI-
denly conceives a notion that she has mission
in life you may take it for granted that the cause
is purely physiological. At the same period she
may bestow an extravagant affection upon dogs,
or she may set to work writing erotic books.
Perhaps her oddity may take the form of melan-
cholia and she will have delusions, believing
that some woman is jealous of her or that man
Is pursuing her with unwelcome attentions
She is apt to imagine that some one is in love
with her, usually her favorite clergyman. No
body knows how much distress ministers of the
gospel are obliged to endure account of old
maids who fancy themselves beloved by them.
This sort OF mania is particularly likely to at
tack single females at about the age Of forty
five or fifty. know of case not long ago
where q maiden lady ordered lot of groceries
to be charged to her pastor, saying that she was
his wife. This was extremely embarrassing to
him, inasmuch as he was otherwise married and
had family. On the whole it il safe to say
that there would be much less lunacy if mar
riage was more universal.
ACTORS LIABLE TO BRAIN TROUBLES.
''Stage players are specially liable to brain
troubles. Their manner Of life subjects them
to much nervous exhaustion and they are apt
to be dissipated. Five actors and actresses are
at present confined in Bloomingdale Asylum.
BARLEY Campbell. John Mccullough and Tony
Hart all died of paresis. The brain OF patient
who has succumbed to this disease. on being
dissected, is found to have Undergone some re-
markable changes. Under the microscope its
cellular structure exhibits abnormalities and
the membranes covering it are much thickened
and congested. The ''pa mater" instead of
peelng of readily from the surface, is adher-
ent to the convolutions beneath.
. 'One Of the most productive causes Of in
sanity is drinking OF the regular and moderate
kind. I refer to the sort of indulgence habitual
with men who are never known to be percepti-
bly, under the influence Of liquor. They attend
to their business properly, but, from the morn
ing cocktail to the nightcap before going to
bed, they continually taking doses of alcohol.
The process is actually species of slow poison
ing. Depending to great extent Upon the
constitution of the individual it may require
few or many years to produce effects In the
shape OF diseases of the body or mind but
sooner or later il the person lives long enough
it il certain to attack the brain. The COM
plant thus caused is termed alcoholic de-
mentia,' and il is absolutely incurable, owing to
10 ac Al.