The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1893-10-19
CURING A NERVOUS CRANK.
Treatment Employed In Restoring a Well
Man Who Imagined He Was Ill,

Treatment Employed In Restoring a 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 a class whom he describes as
nervous cranks." One of these pa
tients, 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. The 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
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 nervousnessr
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-
tions was given to the patient, and he
was placed under 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 at 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-
clans attention to the fact. The latter
was surprised and delighted. The pa
tient 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 fell
like well man. He was satisfied from
the first that those pills would fix him.
"He sailed for Europe the other day,
remarked the physician, "and as he is tt
remain abroad for five years guess
there is no danger of his learning how
cured him. He was so taken with the
idea of testing the condition Of his nerv
GUS system by the vibrations of the car
bon in that electric light bulb that hu
mored his fancy. After three or foul
weeks Of careful living, and when he hat
put himself into first class physical con
dition, simply changed the bulbs fol
him. For the ordinary bulb containing
carbon coil substituted one that
) had made with fine coil of oxidize'
silver wire closely resembling the othe
and which was so stiff that it was eapa
BILE Of almost no vibration when the bull
: was held in the patients hand. He too
it, saw that the vibrations had cease
and concluded that he was cured.
"In some way, perhaps by accident
when in condition of mental excitement
he had noticed the trembling Of the cal
: bon in a bulb when held in the hant
! : and had instantly made up his mind tina
he was suffering from nervous disorder
. He insisted upon using the same mean
in testing his progress toward recover
Il that had first persuaded him that he we
: i'll, and was compelled to acquiese
and treat him from that basis. He ha
" evidently had little experience with the!
. = bulbs. Ordinary tests and Observable
- would have shown him that no mai
Il however sound, can hold an incandescel
. bulb in his unsupported hand SO steadi
u that the carbon inside Of it will not '
brate."-New York Herald.