The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-02
BODILY EFFECT OF EMOTIONS.
Puerperal Fever. Erysipelas and
Other Diseases Sometimes Result.
From the Revue ScientinQue.

Puerperal Fever. Erysipelas and
Other Diseases Sometimes Result.
From the Revue Scientinque.
Many serious maladies have been at
tributed to the action of moral influences.
Sennert believed that fear was capable of
inducing erysipelas. Hoffman also made
fear and the consequent adynamia play
and important part as predisposing
cause IN contagious disease. DR. II. luke
laid especial stress on the influence Of
fear in the contagion of rabies, and, in
fact, there are innumerable cases on
record Of emotional patients who
suffered all the pains and in
conyeniences of numerous maladies,
inaugnrated solely by emotional dis
turbances. Depressing emotions fire.
quently appear TO play an important
part in the development of tuberculosis.
Puerperal fever is also encouraged by
depressing moral emotions. Il have Of
ten,,' says M Hervieux, "seen young
women in a fair way to recovery hurried
into mortal illness by reproaches or men
tai agitation from whatever cause" This
view finds very general support among
the members of the profession The emo
lions also play an important part in the
evolution of diseases following surgical
operations. The facts observed under this
modern and of immunity from infectious
disease. On one of these the
cries, the mesodermic cells, and par
tlcularly the white cOrpuscles, are charged
with the function of protecting the
organism against the invasion of disease
microbes We know that these leucocytes
or phagocytes, as they are variously
termed, possess the power Of sending out
prolongations, and of enveloping the OBJ
lect of their attack. In this way they de-
stroy the invading foes by a process of
real intracellular digestion. Now, dila-
tation of the peripheric vessels occurs in
asthenic emotions, as is manifested by
ruddiness of the skin, increase of volume
of circulation and functional exultation.
In asthenic emotions, on the contrary,
there are diminution of circulation, con-
traction of the blood vessels and conse-
quently condition unfavorable to the
activity of the phagocytes.
Asthenic emotions may thus be re-
garded as corresponding in their action
to traumatisms, chill fatigue, hamilton,
loss of blood, etc. 1t is not merely that
the condition of the vessels changes under
emotional disturbances, but the phago-
cytes themselves exhibit the influence of
the changed conditions in apparent loss of
vitality with corresponding loss of the
property being attracted TO the invading
microbes or the products of their secre-
ton, IL has been observed, too, that
under defective conditions of nutrition, as
well as after nervous excitement or emo
tional disturbance, the liability to infec-
tion is greatly enhanced, and this appears
easily applicable on the theory that the
whole organism is, under such conditions,
impregnated with poison sufficient to
engage all the activities of the leucocytes,
to the neglect of the invading foe. The
influence of the emotions on infection is,
moreover susceptible of direct expert
mental demonstra ton, Having under
my care number of feeble-minded per-
sons capable of taking interest in a mo-
notonous exercise, made use of them TO
try the effect of fear upon a considerable
number of small animals-pigeons, rab-
bits and white mice. Both the fright
ened animals and others which had been
left at rest were then inoculated with
cultures of pathogenic microbes - car
buncle chicken cholera, pneumo- enteritis
and Fraenkel's pneumo-coccns. In all
the experiments, without exception, the
frightened animals were the first TO sue
cumb, if the cultures were virulent
enough to cause death, while If the cul-
lures were attenuated, only the fright
ened animals died. We have seen ami
mails little susceptible to an infection sue
cumb to it readily under the influence of
fear. Moral shock is, in reality, equiva-
lent to a cerebral commotion, and with
out forcing analogies too far, it is easily
comprehensive that it is capable Of pro-
voking cerebral LESSONS.