Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-24
Observation-Disclosures NgpM MgegegngnN GegpGn

and being especially struck with Nevroses
ct Idees Fixes" q most convincing work.
had longed to be present at one of his DEM
onstrations. Therefore, forgetful that 1
tied myself to listen.
Rapidly and clearly he spoke IN very Gooo
English, with decision that showed him
to be perfect master at once of his subject
and Of the phrases with which he intended
to clothe his thoughts. He briefly outlined
the progress Of his experiments at the
Salpetriere, and at the hospitals OF Lyons
and Marseiles; then without long prelimi-
nary proceeded to demonstrate most In
teresting case.
girl of about twenty-five, with a coun-
tenance only relieved from uglness by
fine pair of bright dark eyes, was led by an
assistant and seated in a chair. she was
of the usual type seen In the streets OF Is
lington poorly dressed, with some attempt
at faded finery-a working girl IN some city
factory, probably. She cast an uneasy
glance upon the audience and then turned
toward the doctor, who drew his chair to-
ward the patient SO that her knees nearly
touched his
II was a case of nervous "Hemianopsie,"
or one-eyed vision, he explained.
Now the existence of this has always been
denied, therefore the experiment was of the
most intense interest to every medical man
there present.
First the DOCTOR after ordering the patient
to look him straight in the face, held
pencil on the left side of her head, and
was conscious of its presence without NOV
ing her eyes, even when 1t was almost at
the level of her ear. Then he tried the
same experiment on the right side of the
power of the lateral vision had broken
down-for she answered, mo, sir. No, no,
as he moved the pencil to and fro with the
inquiry whether she could see 1t. Neverthe-
less he demonstrated that the power of see
ing straight was quite unirnpaired. and
presently he gave to his assistant kind of
glass hemisphere. which he placed over the
girls head and by which he measured the
exact point on its scale where the power of
lateral vision. ceased.
mis- being found and noted DR.. Deboutin
placed his hand upon the patients eyes,
girl " IN broken English. she was asleep in
few seconds
Then came the lecture. He verbally dis
sected her, giving full and lucid explana-
ton of the nervous system from the spinal
marrow and its termination in the coccyx,
up to the cortex of the brain, in which he
was Of opinion that there was in that case
lesion-probably curable-amply account
ing for the phenomenon present.
So clear, indeed were his remarks that
even a layman could follow them
At last the doctor awoke the patient,
and was about to proceed with another
experiment when his quick eye noticed q
hardly perceptble fiutter of the eyelids
"Ah, you are tired" he said. ut is
enough And he conducted her to the lit
tie side door that gave exit from the plat
form.
The next case was one of the kind which
Is always the despair of us doctors-hys-
terra. A girl accompanied by her mother,
a neatly dressed, respectable-looking lady,
was led forward. but her hands were
trembling and her face working so ner-
vously that the doctor had to reassure her.
With true Cockney accent she said that
she lived In Mile End and worked at a
pickle factory. Her symptoms were con-
slant headache. violent falls and complete
absence of sensation in her left hand
which greatly interfered with her work.
Some of the questions were announcement
until in answer to one regarding her father
she gave cry that Poor father died last
year." and broke into agony of weep
| ing. In moment the doctor took up an
anthropometric instrument from the table
and made movement as though to touch
| her presumably insensible hand "Ah,
you'll hurt mel she said Presently, while
her attention was attracted in another di-
|. rection. he touched the hand with the In
| strument when she drew it back with a
yell of pain, showing that the belief that
her hand was insensfble was entirely due
to hysteria. He analysed her case just as
he had done the first. and declared that by
| a certain method of treatment. too techni-
cal to be here explained, a complete cure
could be effected.
Another case of hysteria followed, and
| then terrible exhibition of Wild haired
woman suffering from what the lecturer
described as a "Crise des Nerfs,' which