The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-07-25

Hu Autn, IN the "a.
midst OF black hopelessness. hasp
thought ever flashed suddenly opva.'
mind that you might put an en- - .
all by committing suicide?
IL so you have very prohah,, A.
the victim OF disease which Il !.
present attracting the attention :,
some OF the most noted physician, !,
the world, says the New YORK Wo.,.
The disease is known technicallv :.
suicidal melancholia.
"Melancholia" is a compound n, -,
Greek words meaning black bile I,
was supposed originally TO have h.s,
caused by an overabundance O, h,..
pie in the system. the effect OF wb,.s
was TO cause the patient TO be in -,
slant dread OF some approaching avn
According TO the degree OF men,,l
depression cases OF suicidal melancho
liza have been artifcially grouped !.
j. simple melancholia; 2, hypochopar
scal melanoholia, and, 3, delusIon,l
inelancholia. But these divisions a.,
purely arbitrary. All cases begin a.,
simple depression. and delusions an
gradually evolved as the disease mn.
crosses The decisions at first ar.
slight and floating, but gradually b..
come more fixed and unchanging.
The decisions vary greatly in cb,,.
acter. The patient fancies sometimes
that all his relatives and Eeighbors ar.
IN league against him or that be has |,
some way incurred the enmity of Tho
whole world. In such cases his Din.
ease will probably end in some for,
OF mental arrangement unless he seel
a speedy cure. Somtimes he imagip,y
that he is being robbed OF his properly
or that his food is poisoned. In othe-
cases some unseen agency is suspected
TO be at work, such for example as
electricity.
very frequently the delusions refer
10 the spiritual welfare. The patien,
asserts that he has been very wicked
and that he is lost for time and eter.
nifty. These. il will be observed, come
under the head of delusional melan.
cholia, but ii must be remembered
that the decisions are not the cause
but the result of the malady.
In many cases the patients who's
attention is concentrated on the state
OF his bodily health. These cases form
the group OF hypochondriacal melan
cholia. Such persons frequently e.
hibit an intense craving for sympathy
ana are constantly pouring forth
lengthy statements OF their imaginap
maladies. They complain that Their
Threats are blocked up. or their s,om.
achs gone, or so on. In addition to
other delusions Authorizations OF spe,
cial senses are frequent in melancholh
These affect mostly the hearing and
then the sight and taste.
The close relation OF suicide to
this diseased condition Of the mind is
well indicated by the records OF case.
at hospitals. Out OF $50 cases treated
in Garland's asylum, England. the sui.
cldai impulse was present in IS per
cent. More than half of this percent.
age had made actual attempts at self.
destruction. while the rest had con.
tented themselves with making
threats. The proportion OF suicidal
cases was IL per cent higher amons
the males than among the females
The bodily symptoms of suicida
melancholia are characteristic. There
is a condition of lowered vitality ant
anaemia. or scarcity of blood. The
complexion is muddy, the appetite
poor, digestion impaired and the bow.
els torpid. The muscles are flabby
and there is a lack OF vigor. Neural
gie pains and sleeplessness are also
features.
1t will be borne in mind that III,
statements in this article are moi
founded on the opinion OF any ont
physician, no matter how skilled h
may be, but are the result of a carefu
examination of records and a compari.
son OF cases. In this way II has beer
found that the most important factol
in the causation OF suicidal melan'
cholia is hereditary predisposition
The tendency TO the mental disease Is
Unborn and only lies dormant till al
some critical period of life il is called
into active existence. Some bodily all
ment or mental shock which would
produce no mental disease in a persor
with a healthily constituted brain i
in those with hereditary men'
tai faint TO induce an attack of de-
of a severity out of all proper
llon 10 the strength OF the existing
cause.
These immediate or exciting cause;
are most frequently OF physical ma
-ure, intemperance In drink affordins
4 large percentage of patients. ID
ABOUT one-third OF the cases the mental
repression is found to have been pre-
'eded by some trouble OF moral OF
mental character. Business anxie,ies
constitute the most common moral
'ause in men and domestic afiiic,ion
n women.
Drunkenness is a fertile source Of
ace degeneration. Victims OF melah'
mia anu Stlclde often have an aN'
loiic family history, though there ma!
laVe been no previous insanity IN inc
amily. Alcoholism has. in truth. mucn
0 answer for, as ii exerts its baneia'
heets not only on the drunkarus
themselves but equally IL not more Oh
heir descendants.
III every victim of suicidal meian,
noila should at once submit himsen
proper treatment the chance
'ouid greatly favor recovery. AZ
uie' recovery takes place graduanp'
no along with the improvement IN 'as
rental state there is a Corresponds
Improvement OF the bodily health
a favorite sign when the patlen.
esins to put on fat. The duration :"
L..