The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-17

and opium, by persons VINO 90 II merely
from force Of habit. as freely INDUCED
in as IL is reported to be-" the reporter
asked.
Yes, indeed it is" the doctor replied.
zone cannot imagine TO what extent this
poisoning is carried on. In the last twenty
years the drug habit. as it might be called.
has increased two-thirds. and particularly
in the South, where before the war they
were in the habit OF drowning their sor-
rows in liquor, now they use laudanum
and other narcotic p~oisons. II is a very
easy habit for a person to become the
victim of, because its effects grow so
steadily upon one that he does not realize
that he cannot quit using them until he
attempts TO. 1t is the same with a man
who drinks whisky; he thinks he can quit
at any time Until he tries 1t, and then he
wakes I'D 70 the fact that he is an in
ebriate.
but the truth Of the matter is that the
greatest part Of all insanity cases. in fact,
1 might say all of them. are caused by
the mechanical conditions of the skull
or the blood being impoverished with poi
sons. The causes range thus: Inheritance.
toxines. discomfort, injuries, old age. There
are conditions that occur within the body
which cause the blood TO be polluted with
narcotic poisons. and the victim may nave
abstained from all bad habits. Indigestion
is the principal cause for this. 1 viii say
that there are a multitude Of sins which
come from indigestion, and yet it is a
very common complaint among people to-
day. When the digestive organs Of the
body refuse to perform their proper func-
tons. then the blood becomes impoverished
just the same as if the person had been
using some kind of a strong drug, and
Of course the result in its effects on the
brain is about the same
THE GENERAL TREATMENT.
DR.. Fletcher was asked what the general
treatment OF insane people was. and an
swered:
The treatment of those who are insane
from born defects, Of course. is not of a
very vigorous nature, because treatment
will not relieve them. About the only
thing that can be done with this class is
TO detain the patient, and keep him in a
natural condition Now. a general cause
OF insanity is the loss Of sleep and mental
overstrain, and between both Of these the
digestion is Influenced, and consequently
the brain is affected The first thing to
be done for a patient who is suffering from
this form OF insanity, and it covers the
ground for all cases, is TO secure for him
natural sleep as quickly as possible, get
his digestion in good order, and in this
way he will be relieved OF all nervous
strain.
The brain, as everyone knows, IS sub
ject 10 constitutional diseases just as any
other party Of the body. For instance, a
man may have tuberculosis OF the brain the
same as he may have tuberculosis Of the
lungs, and the treatment Of the disease
would be the same in the former case as in
the latter. The onset OF insanity as a rule
IS very slow IL It be OF the poisonous
variety, and when IL comes to curing 1t, it
is about as slow in yielding to treatment"
Tell me about some Of the strange de-
lusions you have known people to suffer
with" the reporter requested.
WELL, that would cover so much that IL
would be hard TO tell where to start" the
doctor answered. zone OF the commonest
forms of delusion is for the victim to mag
ine himself a very powerful person, such
as thinking himself a great fnancier, and
= ne will buy everything that comes his way,
paying the most fabulous sums for trihes.
OF course, all OF his buying is done with
checks, and he will write them for any
amount when he has not a cent IN bank.
And 1t Is strange that people affected hus
will be perfectly rational on every other
point except this, and in their speech they
will be so convincing that they will make
you believe they are telling the truth IL you
are not careful. There is one old man In
particular who writes me letters from ev-
erywhere from Maine to the State OF
Washington. He believes himself to be the
Deity. His delusion only comes to him at
times, and during the intervals when he is
free from 1t he Is discharged from the hos
pitfalls and he wanders to some other place
and is again committed to another institu-
ton.
There was one case I remember very
well. 1t was hat Of q young woman whom
I had known for years. She came OF good
family, but she Inherited insanity. She was
employed at the Central Hospital when ]
was superintendent OF that place. After ]
had left / Had not seen her for years until
one day she came into my office. She was
dressed all in mourning and had that ex.
preston about her face OF having suffered
much sorrow. / supposed that some OF her
parents or near relatives had died. But
she told me that she had been married and
that her husband and child had both died
in the last few months. The whole time
she was telling the story she sobbed and
cried as though her heart would break.
investigated the matter and found that she
had never been married nor had had any
opportunity TO be. The picture OF her fu-
ture life as she had imagined II had be.
come so imbedded in her mind that II
passed before her continually as a PIANO.
rama Then you viii find many who be.
lieve that they are Christ. The delusions
under which lunacy makes its victims SUI.
fer are too numerous to mention. One can.
not dream Of the strange things that come
before these u-nfortunates."
BRAIN WORKERS.
Are mer. known as brain workers sus-
ceptible TO Insanity" the doctor was asked
No. TIE men known as brain workers
such as artists, actors. literary men, editors
lawyers. preachers, doctors. etc, IL they
take due precautions are not as apt TO gc
insane as some persons who do not use
their brains. The greatest chance tina
these men have OF going insane is wher
they neglect themselves. their digestion be.
comes bad. their nervous systems are over.
taxed and their work requires that they
take some stimulant TO keep their mind.
activeAthen is when they break down. Lool
at Carlyle-he was a dyspeptic, and con.
sequently could see little good in the world