The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-07-28
CURING A NERVOUS CRANK.
Treatment Employed In Restoring q Wen
Man Who Imagined He Was Ill.

Treatment Employed In Restoring q Well
Man Who Imagined He Was Ill.
On the east side lives physician whose
success in the treatment of nervous dis
orders has brought to him, rather against
his own wishes, considerable practice
among o class whom he describes as
nervous cranks." One of these pa
TENTS, man Of large means, had caused
no end of trouble to the doctor, who,
seeing that the case was purely one of
mental idiosyncrasy, was unwilling to
prescribe course Of drugging or other
injurious treatment. Tho man insisted
that his nervous system was completely
unstrung and that the physician should
take his case in hand.
"There you can see how nervous l
am" said the patient one day, in the doc
tors Office, as he picked up an incandes-
cent electric light bulb from an adjoin-
ing table. "Look at that. See how that
carbon coil inside of the bulb vibrates
and trembles from my nervousnessv'
Every well" replied the physician, de-
termined now to deal with the case in
another way, ''you are more nervous
than supposed, but think can fetch
you out all right in five or six weeks"
An assortment of bogus pills and po-
tons was given to the patient, and he
was placed under a rigid rule for sleep,
diet, baths and exercise. His physical
health, which had been excellent to be-
gin with, improved steadily; but hisnerv-
GUS condition, as indicated by the fuc-
tuations of the incandescent bulb, which
he found conveniently ut hand every
time he visited the doctors Office showed
little or no trace of mending.
One day, however, near the end Of the
fourth week, the patient, upon taking
the bulb from its accustomed place and
holding it up to the light, was surprised
to find that the vibrations of the carbon
were almost nothing. Beaming with
new hopefulness, he called the physi-
was surprised and delighted. The pa
tent tested himself with the bulb in his
right Hand, then changed it to his left
and then repeated the operation, always
with the same gratifying result. The
treatment had done its work. He felt
like well man. He was satisfied from
i the first that those pills would fix him.
He sailed for Europe the other day.
remarked the physician, land as he is to
remain abroad for five years l guess
, there is no danger Of his learning how
cured him. He was so taken with the
idea of testing the condition of his nery-
! GUS system by the vibrations of the car.
bon in that electric light bulb that hui
mored his fancy. After three or -four
! weeks of careful living, and when he had
i, put himself into first class physical con
E dition, / simply changed the bulbs for
c him. For the ordinary bulb containing
D carbon coil substituted one that
had made with a fine coil of oxidized
' silver wiro closely resembling the Other
and which was so stiff that it was eapa
i BILE of almost no vibration when the bull
was held in the patients hand. He tool
it, saw that tho vibrations had ceased
j and concluded that he was cured.
"In some way, perhaps by accident OF
whom in condition of mental excitement
he had noticed the trembling Of the car
bon in bulb when held in the hand
and had instantly made up his mind tina
! he was suffering from nervous disorder
d He insisted upon using the same mean
n in testing his progress toward recover.
!. that had first persuaded him that he wa
= i'll, and l was compelled to acquiesc
e and treat him from that basis. He hat
q evidently had little experience with thes
> bulbs. Ordinary tests and observation
y would have shown him that no man
1. l.
= bulb in his unsupported hand so steadil.,
n that the carbon inside Of it will not vi
. brate. New York Herald.