The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-28
FIBBING TO THE DOCTOR.

A Common Trick Among Patients Dis
cussed by q Medical Man.
zone meets with many odd freaks of.
human nature in my profession. " said
a physician recently. perhaps the
most common is the weakness of lying
to the doctor. When a person goes To
a medical man to be treated. the sensi-
BILE thing is obviously to help him to
judge of the case by giving all details
as to pains and other symptoms with
as much accuracy as possible. That
anybody should try to deceive the ply
stefan to whom he or she is applying
for advice seems the height of absurdi-
ty. Yet do assure you that it is done
SO constantly that we have always to
be ON our guard. Woman are mitch
more given to that sort of folly than
men are. l have lady on my list of
patients who is truthful enough,
doubt not. in all other affairs, but she
does not hesitate to mislead me as far
as she can by false statements respect
ing her own maladies, though she is
extremely anxious to get well. l con-
fess it is psychological puzzle.
Besides the people who deliberate
~ and willfully tell lies to the doctor,
there are others who are mislead to n
imagination l will cite a case in
point. Only yesterday a lady came to
see me professionally for the first time.
She told me that her vision was very
bad. Her ewes looked all right, and l
tried her sight by means of a card
with printed letters of various sizes
From across the room she was unable
to read even the biggest of the letters
I - ~ rr1o IN rSf hor
eyes, and she at once exclaimed:
"'Oh, doctorl That is wonderful! 1
can see ever 80 much better now
SIN fact, she swas able to read all OF
the letters, down to the very smallest,
exhibiting a power of vision quite up
to the normal.
This is certainly very surprising.
madman,' said. The spectacles which
have helped your sight SO much are
nothing more or less than common win
dow glass
Naturally, she was very much as
tonished, and would not believe me at
first. But l convinced her at length
that her trouble was entirely imagi-
| nary, and she went away in decided
! ~ pleased state of mind.
sit does not always do, however, to
| be so frank with victims of such hal
fluctuations. This morning lady who
| is a regular patient of mine called
upon me. She was, as usual, in a state
| of intense nervous excitement. Auoth-
| err new symptom had appeared in her
case. She was convinced that some
| thing was the matter with her brain,
| because her head was tender on
one side. By chance l happened
! to notice that her hair was ar
| ranged in way different from her
| customary fashion, and doubtless that
was the reason for the soreness. Most
| women have noticed that to part the
| hair in fresh place is apt to make the
scalp sore for a time. 1t is simply be-
/ cause the hairs are turned in a new
| direction.
Il said nothing about that to my
| patient, save to suggest that she would
| wear her hair in the old fashion. l
| gave her a prescription of something
harmless. Nothing more was needed,
| because the woman is In frst-rate
| health, and there is nothing at all the
matter with her physically But it
| would never do for me to tell her that
| her maladies are purely imaginary.
| If I did so she would not believe me,
and she would seek another physician.
'sIn cases like this the conscientious
! medical practitioner finds nothing bet
ter to do than to humor the patient. -
| Washington Star.
The Ladies' Society Of tis Eaglish
Lutheran xchurch will Civ an Omish
pper Friday evening March 29. in the
clurch parlors from 6 to 8. Admission
20 cents.
The STATE JOURNALS Want and Mis-.
cellaneous columns reach each working
day In the week more than twice as
many Topeka people as can be reached
through any other paper. This is fa0G
| ss2 calls up the Peerless.