The morning call., 1893-08-20
A CURIOUS DELUSION.
People With the Idea That They
Have Been Transformed.
London It'd Bi


In all the history of delusions nothing
is stranger than the cases. by no means
uncommon, where people. often otherwise
entirely 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 q gentleman. his
mind unhinged by sudden trouble, fancied
he was a steam roller, and, with his at
tendant, used regularly to plod around the
square where he resided. in the idea that
he was levelng the surface of the ground
as he passed over it. Endeavoring to root
out this mania, his doctor laid down some
large fiints 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 Pm OF
heavy enough" replied the madman, and
proceeded to fill his pockets with heavy
weights and carry others in his arms.
Says famous surgeon: "Once did sue
ceed in curing man inflicted with this
sort of mania. He had an idea that his
nose had grown suddenly to an enormous
length-sO long, in fact, that he declared
he was unable to enter room except of
the largest size. Other medical men whom
ne consulted laughed at him and endeay-
ored to convince him that he was mis-
taken, but without effect. He only got
worse and worse, and at last declared he
was unable to move. his nose had grown
so heaVy. When he applied to me I at
once declared that all he said was true.
bnt that II he followed my directions [
thought | could cure him.
On day appointed he came to me- and
tied handkerchief around his eyes. I
had previously provided q large basin
nlled with bullock's blood, and. making
him stand over it, hit him a violent blow
npon the nose. Then, saying Take it
away, t. my assistant. as If he were bear
Ing OF the severed nasal organ, ! dabbed
some of the blood over my hands and ma
TENTS nose and removed the bandage from
his eyes. The plan worked successfully
and the patient was cured of his delusion." {"
Strangely enough. with persons afflicted
with such mania many of the cures are
accidental. An old lady living in the
ncrth OF England got an idea into her head
thaf she was made OF china, wore thicklv
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 dam
age but few bruises, saw clearly that the
idea she had formed of her own compost
tion must be mistaken one. Similarly an
old pauper in a provincial workhouse got
the notion into his head that he was, above
all things, Goldfish. One day the inmates
Of the workhouse were INDUCED in visit
to the seaside and the harmless old lunatic
taken with the rest. Walking upon a pier
the old man somehow stumbled over a rope
and fell into the water, where he fouu-
iered for some time, but was eventually
rescued, half-drowned. but effectually rid
of the idea that he was in any way am
phibiOus.