The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-08-04

qualify for admission, recruits, or
rather those who were liable to serve
in the army. have not hesitated to in
flict on themselves the most servere IN
juries in order 10 avoid service.
In the day when it was necessary
for q soldier tn bite of the end of the
carriage in loading his musket II was
no uncommon svent for a man to nave
one or more teeth extracted or hled
down so as to obtain exemption. In
countries such as our own at the pre-
sent time, where voluntary service eX-
lists, we are more likely to find appli-
cants for enlistment who attempt TO
hide diseases. In all countries, how
ever, many soldiers, whether they have
been called to the service by conscrip-
ton or have entered it voluntarily,
earnestly desire to leave it. There is
an old tale, in all probability true,
that illustrates well the trouble which
such man will take to escape from
military service. A soldier was seized
with paralysis of the right arm; the
loss of power came on suddenly and
without obvious cause. Malingering
was suspected, but all the efforts of,
the surgeons of the regiment were un-
availing; no proof could be obtained
that the paralysis was feigned. The
man was examined by two medical
boards and ultimately he was given
his discharge. AS he went off from,
the barracks on the top Of the coach
lit was in the days before railways). he
waved a hearty goodby to his COM
rades with his paralyzed arm.
Probably the best example of the
perseverance which men will display in
| the attempt to leave service which.
they detest is to be found in a case
under the care of Cline, The patient
was sailor in the British navy, and
it is worthy Of note that he was a
pressed" man. He fell on his head and
a slight depression of the skull was
produced. He Immediately became I'm
/ conscious and all efforts to rouse him
failed. He lay quietly in his ham,
mock and never moved. He seemed
deaf to all sounds, and at no time ut-
tered any word. He was able to
swallow food, both solid and liquid,
and indeed he made signs with his
lips and and tongue when he wanted
nourishment. He was brought back
to England, but no improvement fol-
lowed and the "unconsciousness'' last
ed for thirteen months. Then it was
resolved to raise the depression portion
Of the bone. Flaps We're made, a tre-
phine was applied and the bone was
cut through. An elevator was then
introduced to raise the bone an d as
the bone was lifted up consciousness
suddenly returned to the patient and
he spoke At the time of the operation
most of the onlookers accepted the
case as genuine, but no one would
nowadays venture to support the idea
that the patient really lay unconscious
for thirteen months. suddenly regain
ing consciousness on removal Of the
depressed bone. There, can be no
doubt that the man was a malingsrer
and adopted this arduous method Of
leaving a service into which he had
been forced.
The amount OF pain and discomfort
which malingerers are willing to en-
dure to- obtain their discharge Is al
most incrsditable, but the facts are
well attested. "a limb has been held
In a fixed position for many months,
and not even the application Of the
actually cantery has suff1ced to move
it. Many men have chopped off some
fingers, and have claimed that 1t was
an accident Mental arrangement Of
one sort or another is a Iav,rItc Aur,l
of nalingery, but the results usually
resemble the popular or stage idea Of
insanity rather than the true products
of mental alienation. 1t is not unconl-
mon for the malingerer to combine tive
forms of insanity, and this may be Of
value in detection. Still, it is often very
difficult to be certain that a patient IL
shamming. There are however, some
phentmonena which cannot be simu.
lated. 1t is impossible for a sane mar
to initiate successfully the persistent
insomnia which often occurs in the in.
sane; the impostor cannot put of
sleep beyond the second or third day.
Another frequent motive for malin.
gering is to attract attention not fol
the purpose of obtaining money but
merely to gain notice. Simulated join
affections are not rare and there arr
many other forms. These casss merge
imperceptibly into hysteria, and indeed
in many hysteria is combined with the
wish to deceive 1t is not improbable
that in some of these patients there il
a certain degree of cutaneous amaze.
thesia which renders the self mutila,
ton more easy of accomplishment
There are other causes for stimulating
disease or injury. Sometimes it is done
to avoid punishment, sometimes t
wreak vengeance on another person
who is accused Of having inflicted tn
injury. To obtain compensation for In
jury in a railway accident several les
ions may be simulated. and ospe"i~'''
; those obsucre and ill-defined condi
tions which have been attributed Il
/ spinal concussion." These latter form
large and very important class tn,
J detection of the fraud of which is Otter
] most difficult
Sad to relate, many of the attempts
, to imitata disease have led to seriou
, and irreparable results and even t.
: DEATH itself. A man excited an tllce
in his his leg by means of cope
! coin, and later gangrene appeared, ne
cessitating amputation below the knee
In endeavoring to excite haemoptysi
! a man swallowed cork into whic
l