The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-20
STRANGE FREAKS
OF HUMAN MINDS
Cseer Fancies Of Those Afflicted with
Nervous Troubles.
nUM0R CLEANS THROUGH PATHOs


COmedlan..A French Doctors Cure
for Nervous " NOmen.. dventure in
a Madh0use.
From the Boston Herald.
Odd and curious people are frequent
ly met with. They are usually an al
fliction to their intimates because of
their continual complaints of not feel
ing well or not being Just right, etc
Some incOnsiderate people may blame
them, but the fact is they are more
objects of pity than of censure. They
are known to the medical fraternity as
hypochondriacs, and their disease-for
disease it isis one that Is character
lied by extreme sensibility of the ner-
vous system, leading the patient to be-
lieve himself to be suffering from some
terrible imaginary disease. or to be
much worse than he really is. The
ideas of such person often partake of
the most eXtraragant character. AIe
may fancy that he is imrjensely tall
or Unfortunately small: thut he was
heavy as lead or as light as feather;
that he is composed Of glass or is a
lump of butter. Such people are eX-
tremely timid. and their fears are ex-
ercised upon tritles or are altogether
groundless. They dwell constantly
upon their own sufferings. and are
usually morOse, peevish. suspicious and
misanthropic. and frequently suspect
their dearest friends of designs upon
their life.
\ story is told of a French physician
in the last century who. having been
consulted by a person subject to the
most gloomy fits of melancholy, ad-
Nised his patient to mix in scenes of
gayety and dissipation, and Iarticu-
larry to frequent the Italian theater.
adding: IF Carlini Ia famous come
gloomy complaint. your case must be
desperate indeed" Alas, sir" said
the patient, II myself am Carlini, and
while | divert all Paris with mirth,
and make them almost die with laugh
ter. l myself am dying with melan-
choly and chagrin." There are some
instances of men carrying the imagi-
native faculty to a great height. Tul-
Plus mentions painter who verify be-
lieved that all the bones of his body
We're so soft and flexible that they
might be crushed together or folded
one within another. like pieces of pill
able wax. A story is told of the man
who was persuaded that his nose
was grown to that prodigius length
and greatness that it was a great hind
rance. The physician cured him by
holding concealed a long stuffed hing
like a sausage to his nose, and taking
hold of the hypochondAacs nose,
scratched that with an instrument.
deXterously pretending ne had whipped
off the eNcrescence.
AFRAID TO SIT DOWN.
Three different authors tell of q per-
son so extremely nervous that he i'm
agined his lower eNtremities to be made
of glass. He did not dare to sit down
lest simple or compound fracture
might ensue. A Portuguese physician
had patient who insisted that he
was perpetually frozen. and would sit
before great fire evens in dog days.
The doctor procured him a dress of
rough sheepskins. saturated with alco-
hol. and, laying him down. set him on
fire. The patient then declared he was
quite warm, rather too much SO, and
was cured.
There is an account of a servant, at
Cremona. Italy. who verify persuaded
himself that he was the pope and had
formed consistory of cardinals, arch
bishops. and bishops in his chamber.
At certain hour in the day he would
seat himself in a chair, like a newly
kissed, entertaining ambassadors, maxi
ink cardinals, despatching bulls, and
ordaining officers for the see apostolic
cal. This fit, when 1t was upon him,
gave MN, II seems, marvellous pleas
ure. In ancient Greece there was
man who kept number of cats, with
which he took great pleasure, persuad-
ing himself and telling others that they
were lions. Galen makes mention of
people who fancied themselves earth
en- pots. and who carefully avoided be-
ing touched. for fear they should be
broken. Menedenus, cynic philoso-
pher of Rome, became hypochondriac,
and went around in the dress of q fury,
saying he was sent as messenger
from hell To bring the devil an account
OF the sins of all mortals. Another
Roman fancied that he was dead. When
his friends urged him to eat he re-
fused. saying: 1T Is in vain with the
dead Fearing that this obstinacy
would prove his death-it being the sew
enth day on which he persisted in his
fast-his friends had brought into his
room, which was purposely made dark,
some fellows wrapped in their shrOuds.
Meat and drink We're brought i'm of
which the supposed cOrpses began to
eat and drink. The sick man, seeing
this. asked them who they We're and
what they were doing. They told him
they were dead persons. "How is this?
Do the dead eat?" he queried. "Yes,
to be sure they do: and If you will sit
down with us you shall find it So" The
invalid sprang out of bed and Joined
the dead men in their feast. Supper
ended, the wine which had been furn-
ished completed the cure.
THOUGHT HIS HEAD OFF.
There is the case Of an insane French
matchmaker, who insisted that he had
been guillotined. and that another head
had afterward. by mistake, been put on
his shoulders instead of his own. Look
at these teeth" he would say. Mine
We're extremely handsome. These are
rotten and decayed. My mouth was
sound and healthy: this is foul. How
different is this hair from that of my
own head" BenvenutO Cellini, the cell
ebrated FlOrentine artist, in his me-
moirs, relates that the governor of the
castle in which he was at one time con-
fined, had a periodical disorder, but
every year he had different whim.
One time he imagined that he was
metamorphosed into pitched of oil;
at another time he imagined himself a
frog. and began to leap as such: again,
he imagined he was dead. and it was
found necessary to humor his conceit
by making u show of burying him. At
length he thought himself a bat, and
when he went to take walk. he some
times made just such a noise as bats do.
He likewise made gestures with his
arms and body. az if lying.
A celebrated physician of France, on
a journey, was Obliged to stop at Bor-
deaux. His presence in the city being
known the handsomest women fiocked
around him complaining of weak