The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-24
ABOUT PARESIS.
Development Of the Relent-
less Malady;na,
The Results Of aTsStndy "a
Thirteen Hundred Cases.
Very Many Of the Victims Have
Been Drunkards.

known under the name OF paresis, and
In addition, an examination by autopsy
of 30 bodies of patients who had died
from the disease, DIR. Louis @. Petit of
Wards Island says In the medical YER mac
ular.
OF the real causes of the disease very
little has been learned, but regarding the
complex conditions under which 1t has
occurred many statistics have been re-
corded. Thus, two-thirds OF all the pa
retics have been immoderate drinkers,
and at least o~ne-fourth have been victims
OF a disease common amolg sailors and
others OF like habits. A small portion
have been guilty Of excuses other than
In drink; but wnen all these have been
counted out there Is a remnsnt OF people
who, after lives that were strictly moral
end praiseworthy, became victims whose
fate was as inevitable as that of any de-
bauche. More remarkable still Is the fact,
10 which mere ailusion is made In the
monograph. that paresis appears fire.
quently among debauched men and al
most never among women Of like charac-
ter.
Another startling announcement Is
that the dread disease appears among ro-
bust children Of phthisical parents. On
this matter the doctor says:
"wtthout any special effort on my part
or special object in view, knowledge OF
this fact was impressed upon me by the
very large percentage Of phthisical rela-
tives In the families OF over 1900 patients
a. ---x nAvAata and
phthisis may in some msnner be relsted
TO each other In some mysterious etiologi-
cal sense-thst Is TO say, in their origin.
Paresis is no respecter OF persons, mt least
OF men, neither does IL select persons al
ready injected with the disesse, unless the
%forerunners be either phthisis or the
other disease mentioned.
or the earlier symptoms I'm a patient 1t
Is said that the mental disturbances are
the ones first noticed by friends. They
see "something wrong" about him-"s
change from the normal state" Then a
doctor Is called, and be confirms their
wo'st fears by means OF physical signs.
"One long associated with paretics grows
to recognize them almost at a glance.
The expression, In addition to being an
index to the mind, Is accompanied by a
more or less permanent physical change.
There is a lack OF expression, a want of
stimulation from the brain, a slight drop
ping Of the lower Jaw, a tendency toward
~roundness; or there may tie a fixed, stony
expression, a lack of that reaction which
gives character to mental acts. The face
at rest, when once put in motion, brings
out an entire new feature Of the disease,
a physical lack Of proper coordination.
There Is a peculiar mot.on Of the upper
lip when 1t is retrscted, q peculiar tremor
in the upper eyelid when it is dropped
easily over the eye bali and a peculiar
tremor In the edges OF the tongue. There
are tremors In the hand inst indicate the
presence Of the disease and Others in the
knees. Sometimes the m entail symptoms
are pitiab le In the extreme. The patient
knows that he Is In the clutch, and begs
in anguish for help. In Others hope goes
entirely, on learning the fact, and there
10 but one wish, and this for an early
death. But generally the first symptom is
mere absent-minoedness, not wholly in
consistent with perfect health, but transit
tory, alternating states Of depression and
exaitaticn follow, and these in turn are
smothered in progressive dementia. The
patient has vague and indescriba BILE SEN
sations and hears hsllucinatory sounds.
Sometimes marvellous fosts are per-
formed. One patient passed months try
ing 10 grow a pansy TO the size OF a sun
flower, and ransacked Jersey for rich
earth; finally he became irritable and
morose, and a menace to the family.
Another purchased SIX clocks. A third,
after wonderful experiences and hair
breadth escapes, extending over u period
of one year, presented himself at his
mothers door at I O'Clock in the morn
ing with two red lanterns swinging on
his arm. There 10 a change In demeanor
or habits toward spsndthriftiness or
Generalization; attempts toward insur-
ing ones life without approp lated
means, and 80 on. The desire to have
more than one wife 'and tho crime of
bigamy are not in~frequently symptoms.
but rarely Is there anything like distinct
sexual perversion.
The ordinary course Is first an indeh-
nite Period Of mild mental deterioration
with some confusion Of ideas or apathy.
During this stage purposeless acts are
performed. Then follows a short period
OF depression. during which homicidal or
suicidal tendencies develop. The de-
Iirium Of grandeur, the condition where
the victim imagines himself some great
person, perhaps the Almighty, ends the
cycle.
The history of a single case is gwen by
way OF illustration. 1t was that OF a man
now 81 years old. His mother died Of
pbthisis and his sister 10 suffering from
m~eisncholis. He was not a man OF ex-
ces,e., hut 10 years ago he had the mis-
fortr nj to acquire the disease that is
often q i%orerunner Of paresis. He was
treated for this In a German hospital ana
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