The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09
FANCIES OF THE SICK.
SOME OF THE QUEER VISIONS WHEN
SEIZED WITH DELIRIUM.

Men Are Said to Unfold More of Their
Real Selves in That Condition
Than WOmen-The DeIusIOns of
Healthy People.
From the San Francisco Examiner.
The other day a sick man sat up in bed
and with great earnestness said to his
wife:
Emma, have made a most wonderful
discovery
His wife soothed him and urged him TO
lie down, but he grasped her arm and
drawing her down so that his words would
reach only her ears, he whispered:
For long time / have thought the
chief element of fiea-powder was sand,
and by Analysing have become con-
WINGED of it. Now, if certain acid (what
it is 1 will not reveal. even to YOU be
combined with the sand, no flea can exist
where this mixture is placed. Yesterday
1 had talk with certain men who will
undertake the grading of all the hills in
San Francisco. The sand will be con,
veyed to a place in the Mission, where
1t will undergo a refining process. In this
state IL will readily absorb the deadly acid
men pay all the Expenses, and when the
powder is sold they Will share the profits
with me-"
When the man had proceeded thus far,
he lay back exhausted. After a brief in
terval he sat up again, calling excitedly:
Emma, Emma, we have succeeded be-
yong our fondest expectations, The or
ders for the powder are coming in so
rapidly we cannot fill them. To-day
was offered a million dollars for the Sc.
cret, but l refused 1t. We are rich, rich!
Didn't l tell you 1 would strike it some
This fancy continued during the greater
part of the mans delirium, When, on his
recovery, his wife told him of 1t he was
amused, but regretted exceedingly 1t was
not all true.
There are as many different decisions as
there are cases said DIR. Dozier of ST.
Lukes hospital. Sometimes patients have
only a fear of something. They imagine
there are rats or other animals in the
room, and they cry out excitedly. There
they go!'
"Often the patients have sustained fan
cies and the disordered Imagination car
ries out the delusion most perfectly. l re-
call the case of a sailor we had here once,
who had typhoid fever. He rayed over a
boat he was trying to bring to shore. He
would sit up and, exposing his sinewy
arms, would make motions as If plying
oars. Occasionally he would break into
wild sailor song. Then again he would
turn to me and say cheerily, as If in an
swer to a question: Aye, aye, mate, we II
soon be there
II said to him very gently. We're there
now, Ben But he was up again in a mo-
ment, Juggling away at the imaginary oars
WIN renewed strength ana CdlllnR out,
NO, no, mate; we can't anchor here We
must keep on a bit Then he would throw
himself back and say YEARLY, We won't
reach the shore tonight
Poor old fellowy' said the doctor, re-
fiectingly. HE did reach the shore before
the week was out"
Are not mems fancies influenced by
what has affected them most closely be-
fore their illness2" was asked.
NO" answered the doctor; mot in all
cases. At present there is a man here who
is delrous from the effects of the con-
tinuous use of alcohol. His chief trouble
is to get some horses out Of a burning sta
BILE. He knows, evidently, that horses
must be blindfolded in order to lead them
away from fire. He takes hold of the
sheet, and, folding 1t, appears to be plac-
ing q bandage over his horses eyes. Then
he pats the blankets and says coaxingly:
Come, Prince; come, Dick! This man is
an iron molder and never possessed a
horse, nor did he ever have anything to do
with horses.
in some respects the faneies of women
differ from those of men. Women dwell
upon milder subjects. Imagination pic
lures some harm Detailing their children
a catastrophe TO their house, or something
personal. l have also noticed that men