The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-17

grounds for her suspicious. The husband
protested his innocence and declared there
was no cause whatever for her accusa-
tons. The wife persisted in reiterating
them. and so the wrangle went on till sud
denly she fell from her chair on the floor
in a fit. the spasmodic movements OF
which were so strange and varied that it
would be almost impossible to describe
them. At one moment the patient was ex-
tended at fun length and her body arcned
forward in a state of opisthotonous
The next minute she was in sitting po-
sition. with the legs drawn up, making,
while her hands clutched her throat,
CULTURAL noise. Then she would throw
herself on her back and thrust her arms
and legs about, to the no small danger
of those around her. Then, becoming
comparatively quiet and supine, she would
culver all over, while her eyelids trembled
with great rapidity. This state perhaps
would be followed by general convulsive
movements, in which she would put her
self into the most grotesque postures and
make the most unlovely grimaces. AT
last the fit ended, and, exhausted and In
tears, she was put to bed. The patient
was a 1.-THE muscular woman, and to re-
strain her movements during the attack
with the assistance at hand was matter
of impossibihty, so that all that could be
done was to prevent her injuring herself
and to sprinkle her freely with cold water.
The after treatment was more geographi-
cal than medical. The husband ceased
doing business in a certain town where
tTfe object of his wife's suspicious lived.
He was enabled to do so by the kindness
of friend who exchanged part of his
district with him.
This was not a case of epilepsy, for the
muscular spasms of the patient We're not
exactly similar to those of that disease.
Besides, there was no foaming at the
mouth, or biting of the tongue, and con-
sciousness was not, think, at any time
fully at allegiance, as is the case in epilep-
sv. The attack was a well-developed hys-
terical fit, with a good deal of cataleptic
Rightly of the muscles The fit was not
the disease, but it was the symptom or
manifestation of a mind diseased or de-
ranged the state of the mind
being the result of the wo-
mans broodings over her real or
imaginary wrongs. When the mind of
sensitive person is fixed on an all-absorb-
ing subject like that of jealousy it may
become unhinged, and when this is the
case the brain may, think, occasionally
relieve itself by explosions of more or less
uncomfortable and misdirected muscular
energy 1t lets Off steam, and perhaps
prevents the boiler from bursting. But
jealousy frequently assumes violent and
destructive character, for as the wiSest
of the sons of men says: Jealousy is
cruel as the grave; the Goals thereof are
Goals of fire which have most vehement
flame" Not long after the above case
came under my notice read in the STAN
dard newspaper an account of three MUIR
ders, each attributed to jealousy.
Again, jealousy in an unobtrusive form
may be found influencing the course of
many diseases, and sometimes it may take
such a deep hole on the mind of a pa
tent that il may be considered the disease
itself Ii is not often, however, that a fe-
male patient will reveal to third person
The cause of her mental depression, loss
of sleep and appetite, and her unwilling
ness to leave her room and resume out
door exercise. A husband may throw
some light on a case that is making little
or no progress toward recovery. / have
had cases illustrative of this kind of ieal-
ousy and have had one lately, and this l
know. that i'm treating them a man re-
quires to be diplomatic as well as ply
stefan.