Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-10-25
HOW DOCTORS TELL THAT A BABY IS INSANE.

copyright, 1896, by Ryman Interview
Syndicate)
New York claims the honor Of owning
the Youngest insane person in the world.
Charles Warsaw, whose address can be
easily obtained, has symptoms OF lnsan-
itv as pronounced as those of the patti
ents who fill Bloomingdale and keep the
State Asylum comfortably inhabited.
He is fifteen months old and has been
a lunatic since he was eleven months
old. How much earlier than That Is not
known. for his parents are poor, and no
brain specialist saw Charles under that
age. His mother says he began to be
queer boy at two weeks.
Charles insanity shows itself by MS
exceedingly funny actions. He inter
rupts the most serious conversation with
a silly smile. He bursts into laughter
in the middle of the night, and some
nights he laughs the whole night long.
His expression is the funniest, and at
the same time the siliiest, ever seen upon
a boys face.
1 Il = I
AT the clynic, where this baby goes
weekly. he is a source of amusement for
the other patients. But the doctors
shake their heads, for they know that
this boy will never regain his reason.
While they examine him he breaks into
Z smile so idiotic that they have to laugh.
He is not what is called an idiot, but is
really and truly insane. Smart enough
in way. but erratic. not to be depend
ed upon. and apt 20 change any minute
10 a violent state. lie may mature sud-
denly and become that monstroslty, an
old man at two years.
He may start in upon the process Of
sudden development and in three mon hs
mass through all the varying stages Of
life. His teeth may come he may talk
fuently. His teeth and hair may leave
him. his speech get feeble, and he may
grow gray and wrinkled. His converse
ti0nal powers may for the few We ks OF
the transition period be the equal OF the
average grown man, and then may fail,
until he dies Of senile debiiity-dies OF
old ace al two years. SUCH case re-
cenIy happened For two weeks the
baby talked like an old man, only show
ing in his conversation the lack of eX-
perience. When he died he was as
wrinkled and yellow as winter apple i'll
summer time. Just now he is laughing
all the time.
Physicians, specialists on children's
Diseases and those who have charge Of
outdoor infrmaries say that insanity
among young children is a very frequent
thing. Ii occurs among the rich as well
as the poor, but when rich baby be-
comes insane it is treated speedily and
generally gets we'll or dies under the
treatment. But with a poor baby the
case runs along the brain is hOpelessly
befogged That is why you hear Of the
poor. but not the rich.
The symptoms which a crazy baby
present vary. The mother notices It's
peculiarities and thinks they are pre-
cocity. The father sees them and gets
charmed One child of a little more than
a year suddenly refused its food though
it had been eating at the table for three
months Not a bite of anything would
iL take-Catmeal, barley, mush and all
its accustomed foods were offered in
vain. The bottle was appealed to, though
Fhe boy had not seen his bottle for weeks.
Immediately upon beholding it he grab
bed the bottle with one hand and began
combng his hair with it, while with the
other he tore out his scanty locks by the
handful, shouting gleefuily the while.
"A visit to the brain specialist, and the
parents came away knowing they had a
crazy child.
Lunacy among young children comes
from differen. causes. One Of them is
the giving of narcotics. Paregoric is
said 20 make more little lunatics every
gear than the asylums can cure. The
nurse gives paregoric so she can get
sleep herself. The child gets sleep. but
The brain gives out. Soon the child be-
gins to act queer.
BABY DRUNKARDS.
Whiskey makes many a child-lunatic.
Some children. specialist say. are born
urunkards. The mother drank whiskey
and brandy steadily. and Inc day-old
baby has 10 have whiskey because il
cannot sign the pledg' and break off
right away. It's system has always had
tn LlL- ht y anu 10 SEto AE4. WAX III Wis
key is Withheld. It must become a tee
to.aller gradually, and breaking off,
lakes three or four weeks.
A queer case of a morphine-eating
baby came up at a clinic not long ago.
The baby was three months old and a
pronounced morphine eater. The moth
err. il seems, mad been a morphine eater
for years. Whsn the child was born il
was healthy, but within day began to
show signs of collapse.
7. doubled up in agony and became
lifeless: spasm succeeded spssm. It's
mother. seeing its sufferings and rscog-
nizing them as her own when deprived
Of morphine. gave it 4 tiny dose In
mediately it was calm and and as well
rs any day-old baby. But It had TO have
The morphine later in The day and again
in the night. and many times next day.
ne child prospered and the mother kept
on giving morphine But at three
months it showed signs Of becoming in
sane. Il never smiled, never uttered a
sound of any kind, was all wrong inside
and out. l. took the clinical doctors a
long time to find out the truth and the
whole truth. But they managed 10 cure
the child before it lost its mind forever
and forever. 4 ~. y