Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-03-26
PLAYING TRICKS ON PATIENTS.

zone meets with many odd freaks OF
human nature In my profession" said n
physician 70 the representative OF the
Washington Star. "Perhaps the most
common Il the weakness Of lying to the
doctor. When person goes to med
ical man to be treated the sensible 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 physician TO whom he or
she Is applying for advice seems the
height OF absurdity. Yet | do assure
you that Il Is done so constantly that we
have always to be on our guard. Women
are much more given to that sort OF folly
than men are. have lady on my list
Of patients who Is truthful enough, ]
doubt rot, In all other affairs; but she
does not hesitate to mislead me ms far-as
she can by false statements respecting
her own maladies, though she Is ex-
tremely anxious to get well. confess
that It Is psychological puzzle.
oBesides the people who deliberately
and willfully tell lies to the doctor, there
are others who are misled to an astonish-
ing extent by their own imagination. |
will cite case III point. Only yester-
day lady came 10 see me professionally
for the first time. She told me that her
vision was very bad. Her eyes looked
all right, aud tried her sight by means
Of card with printed letters OF various
Sizes. From across the room she WAS
unable TO read even the biggest OF the
letters. put pair Of glasses Ia front
of her eyes, and she at once exclaimed:
"'Oh, doctor. That Is wonderful. /
can see ever so much better now
sIn fact, she was able To read all the
letters down TO the very smallest. exhib-
iting a power Of vision quite up to the
normal.
"srhis Is certainly very surprising,
madam | said. The spectacles which
have helped your sight so much are
nothing more nor less than common
window glass.
Naturally she was very much aston
ished and would not believe me mt first.
But convinced her at length that her
trouble WAS entirely Imaginary, and she
went away in a decidedly pleased state
OF mind.
ut does not always do, however, To
be so frank with victims OF such halluci-
nations. This morning lady, who Is n
regular patient OF mine, called upon me.
She was, as usual, In q state OF intense
nervous excitement. Another new
symptom had appeared In her case. She
was convinced that something was the
matter With her brain, because her head
was tender on one side. By chance
happened to notice that her hair Was ar
ranged ia a way different from her Gus
tomary fashion, and doubtless that WAS
reason for the soreness. Most women
have noticed that 10 part the hsir In u
fresh place l. apt to make the scalp sore
for a time. IL Is simply because the
hairs are turned In n new direction.
II said nothing about that to my
patient, save 10 suggest that she should
wear her hair In the old fashion. gave
her prescription for something harm
less. Nothing more WAS needed, be-
cause the oman il In tirst-class health,
and there Is nothing mt all the matter
with her, physically. But II would
never do for me To tell her that her
maladies are purely imaginary. IL did
so, she would not believe IL, aud SHE
would seek another physician.
"ln cares like this the conscientious
medical practitioner finds nothing better
| To do than To humor the patient