Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06
VISIONS OF GREATNESS


dent of mine on two continents died the
other day in Philadelphia in an insane asy
lum,' said a; well-known young Washing
| ton physician He was afflicted with tina
peculiar form of insanity that we call, fol-
| want Oh a better name, 'delirium of grand
| eur His was remarkable and ex-
| tremeiy sad ease. He was a lad of COM
handing ability. He graduated B. A. at the
| top of his class when he was only seven
teen years old at the leading university OF
| our state. He passed all of us il we
We're standing still. He was through the
| medical branch of the University of Penn
| syiVania, an honor man, when he was
| twenty, and went on to Vienna. 1, starting
| in on even terms with him, always a
| couple OF years behind him. and did not
! get to Vienna unit! he had been there for
| Two years. His work had already attracted
ATTENTION there, and the lecturers followed
| ms experiments closely. He was a quiet
| chap ana took no part in our little cafe dis
| slpations He was all study and no fun. A
| lew months after l reached Fienna-we
were room-mates from the day of my ar
| rival there-he became interested in the
| study OF malaria, ard ran down to Rome
| to become infected so that he could study
| II at hrst hand He took rooms out on the
| Campagna, and had trouble in becom-
| ing injected. His experiments on that oc-
| caslon won him wide recognition, although
ne was but a student. | only mention this
| to show what a determined fellow he was,
| ana 10 indicate how valuable man he
| would have become had his wits not become
| clouded. He came back from Rome, all
| over his voluntarily acquired malaria. and
| IN good shape. Then he went to Paris TO
take special course during the vacation.
| He only intended to stay in Paris couple
| OF months. Two weeks after he got there
| | received one morning a letter from him
| that read something like this:
| -" Dear -: Immediately upon your receipt
| of this l want you to take train and come to
| me here in Paris 7 will tell ut
| confidence (though | would advise you to
say nothing about it before startins) that
| L rave seen the president in your interest
| and that he has promised me that he Will
| appoint you surgeon general OF The French
| army as soon as you report mere. You RAY
| wonder why l have not secured the place
| for my cousin George, but his Jack or
| knowledge of the French tongue seems to
me to disqualfy him, and, ut any rate, l
| have already exercised my influence TO nave
him made surgeon general OF tne United
States army. 1t is important that you come
| at once, for l may not be able to hold the
j position open for you for more than week.
| notwithstanding the affection with Whlch
| l am regarded by NJ. Cranot: Pardon me
| for suggesting that If you find your means
| for the journey limited you are at perfect
| liberty TO draw upon me to any amount at
| the Rothschlds or at the Anglo-Aus'rlail
| Bank in Vienna. l repeat, 1t Is necessary
| for you to come at once. remain, etc,
| etc.
| 1T was not necessary for him to insist
| so often that my presence was at once
necessary. [ knew that this letter was
| not a joke. My friend was very serious
| minded young fellow, and never Joked L
| was at the time making speciality OF nerV-
| Gus disorders, and l perceived at once that
| my friend was in trouble. L showed the
| letter at once to couple of other chums
| from my state. They did not know the
writer of the letter quite so intimately as
| | did, and they We're positive that 1t was a
! joke. When L tod them that l was off
| for Paris at once they guyed me good
| deal over my apparent eagerness for that
| surgeon geneTalship of the French army
| | could not induce them to believe that
| there was anything really wrong with our
| friend.
Il drove to my friends address imme-
| diatey upon my arrival there. 1t was
| after 8 at night The old concierge's
| French a trifle beyond me. and l did
| not therefore pay much attention to what
| she said, not thinking that she was giving
| me a warning. l went up to my friend s
| room and found the door partly open. l
| pushed it wide open and found him stand
| ing guard at the fireplace with a poker.
| Thus he had been standing all day, after
| ward heard. He dropped the poker and
| shook hands cordially with me, however,
and appeared perfectly rational, asking me
| all about the boys in Vienna, and SO on. L
| got him on the subject of the surgeon
genera.Ship, and at once l saw that he was
| gone. He was very serious about it, and
| said we should go at once to see Nj Carnot
| and have the commission made out imme-
tidlclS StiIIly suggested lflat IL was
| late, and that | had to seek a hotel, any
! how. He agreed to postpone the visit to
| the president until morning. After awhile
| slipped away, telling him that L would
be back in an hour, and | drove straight
| to the house of DR.. Charcot. I told the
| eminent old man about my friends case.
| and it interested him. He requested me to
| bring my friend to him the next morning.
| / went back to the poor chaps rooms and
| spent the night with him. He was all
| right, except on the subject of his i'm
| mense influence with the great people of
| the world, and especially of France | got
| him into a cab the next morning He
| thought we We're to drive straight to the
| presidents palace. Instead, | gave the
| driver directions to proceed to DIR. Char
| cots residence. The old medical prince
was waiting for us. with couple of Strong
| men on hand. My friend reproved me for
| trapping him, but Gained down Charcot
| told me quietly that my friend was insane
| from Overstudy; chances of recovery slim
cabIed to America for my friends broth
| er, and then CharcOt helped me to get the
| unfortunate into a Paris sanitorium for
| the time being. l stayed in Paris until the
| brother came, and then went back To
| Vienna "
| Two years later, upon my return to this
| country heard that the mind of my friend
mad returned to him, and that he was prac-
| ticing medicine in our native town wont
| to see him. He was all right The fan,
| that he was not doing very well in his
| practice preyed upon him a good deal how
| ever Nobody IN the town knew that he
| had ever been insane, and | of course sa i'd
nothing, thinking him entirely right
| six months later, after | had settled
| down to practice here, l heard that nv
| friend had attacked his little darkev Office
| boy with a poker, almost killing him
| knew that that was about his finish.
| went down home and found him raving
| told the lunacy commission what | knew.
and he was adjudged insane. By that time
| he had become calm.
| Gentlemen he said to the three conn
| try justices of the peace who constituted
| the lunacy court, I believe myself that |
am not entirely right or responsible. but
| that / should be adjudged insane by three
| such specimens-this is too funny and he
| laughed in their faces.
| His brother and a big policeman took
him to the asylum in Philadelphia. He was
| quite calm and collected, and he was per
| mtted to carry with him a big walking
| stick that he had got in Hungary, and that
| he particularly priced. AS the train drew
| into the suburb Of Philadelphia he talked
| fondly of his old student days there. He
| was quite self-contained and when the
| train pulled up in the station he stood
| aside at the car door to let his brother and
| the policeman precede him. They did this
fg..x.I