The San Francisco call., 1905-08-06
IMAGINARY
AILMENTS
- UR bodily ills are multiplied many
times over by the imagination. A


thoughts of appendicitis. the uric acid
crank imagines that every ache or pain
he suffers is due to this acid system,
while the dyspeptic with a pain over the
region Of his heart-"a weak heart'-fan-
cying his heart diseased. deprives him
self of many of Hfe's pleasures. writes
a physician in the London Mail
Truly. little knowledge is danger
Gus thing. All these people are the vic
Tins of their own ignorance. The art OF
diagnosis is the most difficult that the
physician learns, and yet they diagnose
their complaints on symptoms the mean
ing of which, often in many cases, they
have searched for in some household
work on medicine. 1t is this self-conh-
dence that produces so large number of
these imaginary ailments.
MISTAKEN SYMPTOMS.
That the mind plays a great part in
the course and occurrence OF certain dis
eases is undoubted. There is universal
dread Of hydrophobia; dog bite is ter
rifying, for it is the bite Of the mad dog
I that causes the disease. The mental
strain for the six weeks following any
bite is intense. Curious symptoms may
appear, cramps Of the arms and legs, the
patient making a curious noise like the
bark of dog, fully believing that he has
the disease, though his symptoms are not
those of hydrOphobia, but simply an Inn
aginary aiment Convince HIM that he
/ has not the disease and his cure Will
/ soon be accomplished.
/ If the general health is not good, alb
normal sensations have a greater in
/ huence upon the mind. The struggle
/ for existence among all classes to-day
/ is keener than ever it was; every year
it is becoming more so. A larger pro-
portion OF the populace use their brains
in the struggle. Universal education has
intensified this competition to live
Overwork is the order of the day, the
whole nation now suffers relatively
more from nervous irritability; there
are more nervous, exhausted people,
more neurasthenics-the persons OF
imaginary ailments" there were
before this bustling age.
OverWork, associated with it anxiety,
worry, or excitement. quickly produces
this condition. The business man,
anxious for his ventures. works doubly
hard to secure success; the sIeeplesS
mother, worn with care and nursing,
does double or treble duty, and finally
goes to pieces" when the strain Is
over The over-trained athlete goes
stale" the young professional man,
keen, but faced with disappointment on
the threshold of his career-these are
types OF neurasthenics.
MORBID SELF ANALYSIS.
The complaints OF the neurasthenlc
are many; all manner OF vague sensa-
tions. of heat and cold, numbness, stiff
ness, weakness. fatigue. soreness, pain,
pressure OF headache, such as mo man
has ever suffered from before" each
symptom described with minuteness
defying subdivision; every function.
every organ of the body being de-
scribed as subject 10 strange sensa-
tions.
They are the subjects Of mental dis
turbance. Attracted by any Of the NOR
bid sensations, they develop a morbid
dread Of sickness and disease. As the
suggestions OF these reminders and
fears are constantly present, the neu-
rasthenic becomes saturated with them,
becoming morbidly selfwatchful-
In some instances these morbid fears
pass into insane delusions and obses-
sions-then neurasthenta becomes IN
sanity. The woman who complains that
one side OF her body Is bigger than the
other after taking food Is not very DIFF
ferent from the insane pauper pos
sesSed OF the deIusion that inside him
were two red herrings, introduced into
his body while he slept by an inmate
next him
The neurasthenic IL the prey OF the
ouacks and a source OF great profit to
patent medicine venders; TO him their
advertisements are OF absorbing In
terest, he finding comfort and hope In the
published cures Of cases such as his, and
with a hope that springs eternal he
tries for a time this or that patent
cure. only too often with little result
toward tho cure of his imaginary dis
ease.
Can the manifestations OF hysteria
be called Imaginary What hysteria
really is is not known; all that can be
said at present is that 1T is some dis
turbance of the higher centers OF the
brain; no actual disease of these CEN
ters has as yet been discovered.
Its manifestations are wonderful and
many; the hystericaI fit, resembling an
epileptic fit. is of common occurrence;
the state of catalepsy, in which the
person may assume or be placed in any
attitude, may follow the fit-
FAITH CURES FOR HYSTERIA.
The senses of sight, hearing and taste
may be affected, causing defective
vision deafness and complete loss of
taste; sensation to touch and pain may
be lost over certain areas Of the skin,
or even over the whole body. so that
affected persons are unable to feel the
prick of a pin or 10 distinguish the diff
ference between heat and cold; curious
abnormal. rigid positions of the limbs.
clenching of the fingers, various
paralyses, closely resembling those pro
duced by disease Of the brain ana
tiOnS.
They may last for but few hours
though they have been known to continue
for months and years Recovery from
them in many cases is sudden, taxing
pIace often during some mental excite
ment OF during periods Of religious re-
vival These hysterical manifestations
and their cure are the explanation Oh
many of the faith cures
Whom pIaced under proper care, recOv-
erv is nearly always rapid. l have
known a young girl. bed-ridden Tor
months with hysterical paralysis OF her
legs and complete loss or sensation 10
+o7rcb and main. get well in a few weeks
when removed from her home to Lon
don hospital.
Another case of a girl who would fall
asleep for periods of three or four days,
during which time she could with diff
Guilty be reused TO take nourishment got
rapidIy we'll on removal to hospital.
In the middle ages hysterical subjects