The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-08-04
MENTAL PICTURES.
The Mistake One Man Made and the
Result.

Result.
Did you ever notice that when an
idea becomes fixed in the mind it in
very difficult to change 1t, especially
In the case Of extremely sensitive and
hshly nervous persons?" asked a
Brooklyn expert on nerves Not long
ago | had a visit from a man who was
AFRAID he was losing his reason because
OF a very simple persistence OF a GER
tain thought or idea which he could
not shake OFF The history OF the case
Is one often found in cases of hypo-
ehondriasis developed from using the
telephone. My patient for about
wears time had occasion to telephone
every day TO trade customer in New
York Manhattan, IL you like. The
New Yorker had peculiar high tenor
squeak 10 his voice, and somehow my
friend got to picturing him as a little
chap with thin face. This habit
grew day after day until the customer
took real shape and form in the mind
OF my patient, all based OF course, up
on his voice. AS he talked over the tel
ephone there always was mentally pic,
tured that little chap with the thin
face and squeaky voice Well. one day
my patient called at the Office OF his
New York customer, and as he walked
into the place and saw tall. fat man
weighing nearly 300 pounds he could
scarcely believe his eyes. When the
fat man opened his mouth and talked.
my patient says, the squeaky voice
with which he was familiar sounded
strange and unnatural He told the
owner of the absurd voice in view
a al al No.
as little thin person. and there was
a good laugh over the odd difference
OF the reality.
But the next day when nv friend
used the telephone and the squeaky
voice came TO him. he had to struggle
to get away from thinking Of his Fat
ra-ron as being little and thin. He
talked the matter over with his wife
and laughed about It, but soon there
came a time when he forgot all about
the actual existence of his customer.
and the little thin-faced chap was
again talking TO him over the wire.
Then II was that ne came to see me.
He feared. he said. that his mind was
giving away. because OF the persistence
OF the odd picture OF the thin man.
! thought the case was easily disposed
Of. ana told my friend to 90 10 New
York every day for week and visit his
fat customer. This he did. but every
time he ;elephoned the squeaky voice
would bring up the mental picture
formed before he had set eyes on it's
owner.
Il was in despair and my patient was
growing gray from worrying when |
hit upon the happy expedient OF plac-
Ing a photograph Of the Fat man on
the .rlephone. where the eve Of the
patient could rest upon it as he
talked The result was the disappear
ance forever of the thin chap. Ny pa
tient, in looking at the picture OF the
owner of the squeaky voice. got his
mind working upon the same lines that
would have been followed had he met
the fat man face to face the first tins
he heard his voice. These cases are
common every day. We form queerly
opposite pictures OF men and women
We hear over the telephone and never
see. but in the great majority OF in
stances. the impression is a momen-
tary one. and It is seldom that the
mistake is ever forced upon US in the
startling way described by the patient
! told OF.
The telephone. by the way has pro-
duced very many queer cases Of No
rasthenia that remain unaecounta6le
excepting on the hypothesis that the
new habit brings them into existence.
| have had very many patients who
had TO give up the use OF the phone
altogether where IL had been used to a
great extent before"