The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-02
SOME PECULIAR DElUSIONS
PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY HAVE
BEEN TRANSFORMED.
A Gentleman. Slightly Unhinged, Fam
cies Himself "a Steam Roller, While
Venerable English Woman Thinks
She Is Made of China-SOmetimes
Cured by Accident.

In all the history of decisions nothing
IS stranger than the cases, by no means
uncommon. where persons. often other
wise sane. get an idea into their heads
that they are somebody or something
else and live and conduct themselves as
if they were indeed this other person
or thing.
A case noticed in the medical press
not long ago showed how gentleman,
his mind unhinged by sudden trouble,
fancied he was a steam roller, and with
his attendant used regularly to plod
around the square where he resided in
the idea that he was leveling the sur
face of the ground as he passed over il.
EndeavOring to root out this mania his
doctor laid down some large flints In his
patients back garden and asked him to
observe that he could not be steam
roller because after he had passed over
them the stones did. not sink into the
ground. That's because I'm not heavy
enough" replied the mailman, and pro-
ceeded to fill his pockets with heavy
weights and carry others in his arms.
Says a famous surgeon: "Once did I
succeed In curing man inflicted with
this sort of mania. He had an idea that
his nose had grown suddenly to an enCF-
nous length-so long, in fact, that he
declared he was unable TO enter a room
except of the largest size. Other medi-
cal men whom he consulted laughed at
him and endeavored to convince him
that he was mistaken, but without eff
feet. He only got worse and worse, and
at last declared that he was unable TO
move. his nose had grown so heavy.
When he applied to me 1 at once de-
clared that all he said was true, but
that if he followed my directions
thought I could cure him.
and L tied a handkerchief round his
eyes. / had previously provided a large
basin filled with bullocks blood, and,
making him stand over ii, hit him
ciOlent blow upon the nose. Then say
ing, Take it away to my assistant, as
If bearing off the severed nasal organ,
dabbed some of the blood over my
hands and the patients nose and re-
moved the bandage from his eyes. The
plan worked successfully and the pa
tient was cured of his delusion.''-
Strangely enough, with persons af-
f1icted with such a mania. many of the
cures are accidental. An old lady living
in the north of England got an idea into
her head that she was made of china,
wore thickly-muffled shoes and lived in
a padded room for fear of breakage. and
would never drink anything warm for
fear she would crack. One morning
coming downstairs she fell and rolled
down a lengthy flight and finding that
she had suffered no damage but few
bruises, saw clearly that the idea she
had formed Of her own composition
must be a mistaken one. Similarly an
old pauper in a provincial workhouse
got the notion into his head that he
was. above all things, a Goldfish. One
day the inmates of the workhouse We're
INDUCED in a visit to the seaside and the
harmless old lunatic taken with the
rest. Walking upon the pier the old
man somehow stumbled over a rope and
fell into the water. where he floundered
for some time. but was eventually res
cued half drowned, but effectually rid
of the idea that he was in any way
mphibious.-LOndon Tid-BitS.