The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-06-23
CURING A NERVOUS DRANK.


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Crafty Treatment Employed In Restoring
Il Well Nnn Who Imagined He Was Ill.
Nep York Herald,
On the east eide lives q physician
whose success In the treatment Of ner-
voua disorders has brought to him,
rather against his own wishes, consid.
able practice among a class whom he
describes as nervous cranks." One of
these patients, a man Of means, has
caused nc end OF trouble to the doctor,
who, seeing that the case was purely
ono OF mental idioayncrasy, was IN
willing TO prescribe q course OF drug
gIng or other injurious treatment. The
man insisted that his nervous system
was completely unstrun0. and that the
physician should take his case in hand.
"There, you can see how nervous l
am," y said tho patient ono day in the
DOCTORS office, as no picked up an in
candescent electric light bulb from an
adjoining table, Look at that, See how
that carbon coil inside Of tho bulb vi
brates and trembles from very nervous
nessP'
Every WE'LL" replied tho physician,
determined now to deal with the cast
in another way; you arc more nervous
than l supposed, but l think l can
fetch you out all right In five or ak
weeks"
An assortment of bogus pills and
potions wa given TO tho patient, and
he was placed under a rigid rule for
sleep, diet, baths and exercise, His
physical health, which had been excel
lent to begin with, improved steadily;
but his nervous condition, as indicated
by the fluctuations OF the inCandescent
bulb, which he found conveniently at
hand every time he visited the DOCTORS
Office, showed little or no trace Of mend
ing.
Ono day, however, near the end Of
tho fourth week, the patient, upon taxi
ing the bulb from its accustomed place
and holding It up to the light, was sur
prlsed to find that the vibrations OF the
carbon were almost nothing. Beaming
with new hopeiulness, he called the
physician's attention TO tho fact. The
latter was surprised and delighted. The
patient tested himself with tho bulb In
his right hand. then changed II to his
left, and then repeated tho operation,
always with tho same gratifying result.
Tho treatment had done its work. He
felt like a well man. He was satisfied
from the first that those pills would FIX
him
"ETo sailed Tor Europe tho other day"
remarked tho physician, 'tand as he is
to remain abroad for five years l guess
there is no danger Of his learning how
! cured him. lie was so takon with the
idea of testing the condition OF his ner-
vous system by tho vibrations Of tho
carbon in that electric light bulb that l
humorod his fancy. After three or
four weeks Of careful living, and when
he had put himself into first class phys
ical condition, I simply changed the
bulbs for him. For the ordinary bulb
containing q carbon coil | submitted
one TINT | had mado with a fine coil Of
oxidized silver wire closely resembling
the other, and which was so stiff that it
was capable OF almost no vibration
when tho bulb was held in the patients
uulhs lAO JOUh if paw bHNh bllO
vibrations had ceased and con-
cluded that he was cured. In some way,
perhaps by accident or In a condition
Of mental excitement, he had noticed
the trembling OF the carbon in a bulb
when held in the hand, and had in
atantly made up his mind that he was
suffering from nervous disorder. Ho
insisted upon using the same means In
testing his progress toward recovery
that had first persuaded him that no
was i'll, and l was compelled to Ncqui-
eaCe and treat him from that basis. He
had evidently had little experience
with these bulbs. Ordinary tests and
observation would have shown him
that no man, however sound, can hold
an incandescent bulb in his unsupport-
ed hand so steadily that the carbon In
side OF it willnot vibrate."