Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-02-27
JEALOUSY AS A DISEASE.
A London Doctors Peculiar Experi
ence With a Woman
Patient.

Dr.. William O'Neill. late physician to sew
eral Lincoln institutions. sends the fol-
lowing account of a strange experience to
the Lancet. 1t describes a case Of that
very old and commonplace complaint, jeal-
ousy, or spirit of jealousy" as it is named
in the Scriptures, where it is fully described
and treated.
Some years ago. he states. 1 was request
ed to visit a lady who. it was represented
to me. was very Ill, and required immediate
attention. On entering the house 1 was
shown into the so-called sick room. in
which there were three persons, all Of
whom seemed to be in good health. There
house,, and her daughter. who had arrived
a few days previously from a neighboring
county Sel gyot to spend end two ,Ss Or dan three weeks snsb W I'D
whose visit was only to be for a day or two.
The man was about 30 years of age. small
IN n1,i S st IoaEirs swa T + Wifi IN ws cem \ ptriline c ana
trast to her husband. She was rather tall.
remarkably fair and handsome and was a
asked fe Which ko OF Them nnR Was n the s PATIENT Ma' but
no answer having been given to my in
quiry, l asked again. Then the younger
lady,, with some hesitation. said:
Il am the patient. and my complaint Is
jealousy. l am jealous of my husband. and
if you do not give me something to relieve
me l shall go out of my mind
This accusation against the little man
seemed to me to be most ridiculous: in
deed. L could not help thinking that If the
accuser had been the accused It would
have been more in the nature of things. I
assured the lady l was extremely sorry for
her, the more SO that | was quite incompe-
tent to treat such a case. The husband
protested his innocence and declared there
was no cause whatever for her accusations.
The wife persisted in reiteratins them. and
SO the wrangle went on till suddenly she
fell from her chair on the floor in a fit. the
~spasmodic movements of which were
strange and varied.
At one moment the patient was extended
at full length with her body arched for
ward in a state of opisthotonos. The next
minute she was in a sitting position with
the legs drawn up. making. while her
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 eye
lids trembled with great rapidity. This
state, perhaps, would be followed by gen.
eral conrulSlve movements. IN which she
would put herself in the most grotesque
grimaces.
At last the fit ended, and. exhausted and
in tears. she was put to bed.
The patient was a 1.-THE. muscular wom-
an. and to restrain her movements during
the attack with the assistance at hand was
a matter of impossibility; so all that could
be done was TO prevent her inJuring her
self. and to sprinkle her freely with cold
water.
The after treatment was more geographic
cal than medical. The husband ceased do
ing business in a certain town where the
object of his wife's suspicious lived. He
was enabled to do so by the kindness Of
a friend. who exchanged part of his dis
trict with him..
The fit was not the disease. but 1t was the
symptoms or manifestation Of a mind
being the result of a woman'S broodfngS
over her real or imaginary wrongs.