The Washington times., 1894-09-18
AN AMERICAN EVIL.
Observations of a Noted European
Specialist.
PEOPLE WHO KNOW NO REST
Paralysis and Kindred Diseases the Re-
suit of the Ruinous Pace Pc
culiar to Americans.

"Speciaism is the logical outgrowth of the
expansion of knowledge in every department
of life. Medical science has advanced so rap
IDLY during the past few decades that the field
has grown too vast for any one man to salts
factorily control. In my mind it is better to
be an expert in one branch of the profession
than an Indifferent practitioner in all.
The speaker was DR.. Il. 4. Walker, the eele-
brated specialist in the treatment OF diseases
of the brain and nervous system. He sat in
his elegantly appointed parlors at 141l Penn
sylvania avenue yesterday afternoon and
graciously permitted the reporter to inter-
rupt his business for few minutes for the
purpose Of obtaining his views on modern
specialism. The doctor talked freely and with
the quiet, convincing air of a man who
thoroughly understands his subject.
There was a time he said, smiling,
''when the profession as represented by the
general practitioner, was inclined TO regard
the specialist with a certain degree of con-
tempt, il not suspicion. That time has gone
by. except with few relics Of old fogyism,
who are incapable of keeping pace with the
advance OF science, and who regard any de-
parture from the tenets of the old school as
rank heresy. 1t is true. regret to say, that
there are some qUacks in this country who
write themselves specialists but as rule
they are such palpable frauds that the intelli-
gent public ought to readily distinguish them
from the true physician"
When asked wha' prompted him to make a
special study of nervous and brain diseases,
DR.. Walker replied
while vet a student l became impressed
with what seemed to me a self-eYident fact
that great majority of the diseases common
to humanity in general owed their origin
primarily to some disturbed condition Of the
nervous system. l soon developed theories
OF my own, and entered the field to demon
strate their practicability and value. For the
past twenty years have given my whole at
tention to diseases arising from disturbances
OF the brain and nervous system. During
that time l have pursued my Investigations in
all the large hospitals of Europe and America,
and, MS you probably know. have been asso-
ciated with some of the most advanced Euro
pean specialists.
How are nervous diseases usually con-
tractedl''
in great variety of ways. And the great
trouble is that many OF them are not regarded
as nervous diseases at all by the average phy-
sician, and consequently are not properly
treated. Take a case that came under my
own observation. A man in perfect health
sat at his dinner table; he received message
containing unpleasant news; in an instant his
physical being underwent change. his appe-
tite was gone. his digestion was arrested, and
he was victim Of incipient dyspepsia with
various other ills in prospect. all due 10 the
shock received by his nervous system on re-
ceiving the message To cure that man it
was necessary to restore his nervous system
to its normal condition"
rs nervous exhaustion peculiarly an Amer
lean dIsease!"
1T is much more common here than in anv
other country" replied the doctor, because
the inducements to active effort are SO great
that business life is assumed at a very early
age and with extreme zeal in the United
States. But it exists in other countries Is
well. | remember hearing DR.. William Erb.
the famous psychologist OF the University OF
heidelberg, say that hysteria hypochondria,
and neurasthenia were increasing with fear
full rapidity among both sexes in Germany,
owing TO the ruinOus pace at which the peo-
pie were living. His words might be applied
with double force TO this country. The dis
eases often begin in childhood. II. indeed they
are not inherited. Minds are overburdened
in school with too much teaching. The pleas
ures of social life follow, over-exciting the
already enteebled nervous system. Business
lie is made up Of hurry and worry and shocks
and eXcltements. Society, science, business.
art, literature, even religion, are all peryaded
by a spirit of unrest, and by competitive
zeal which urges its victims on remOrselessly.
No man knows repose. The result is wreck
age. Seven out of ten of our people are suf-
fering from some arrangement of the nervous
system. 1t is not caused by business cares.
overwork, hard study. or private trouble. 1t
is due to dissipation, sexual excuses. and
similar causes. Each and everv one of these
Is a candidate for various diseases. such as
insomnia, melancholia. neuralgia, dyspepsia
spinal affections, inflammation of the brain.
paralysis paresis and SO on. SO YOU see nv
field is after all wide one NY success in
the treatment of these diseases is due to the
simple fact that l remove the cause
DR.. Walkers Office. where he is to be found
every day. between the hours of 10 a. m. and
5 p M, consists OF a suit of handsomely furn-
ished apartments elabOrately fitted up with
ali modern appliances for diagnosis and treat
ment. Though hard worker himself. the
doctor is picture OF rosy health and model
of atfability, who has the happy knack of
making everybody feel at home who enters
his Office. He seems to take special interest
in every new case that is brought TO his at
tention, and regulates his charges so that peo-
pie in moderate circumstances need not deny
themselves the benefit he is able to give them.
Besides his Office work he treats many pa.
tients by correspondence, and invites parties
at distance to write him their symptoms.
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