Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-05

nothing We moved about the room
quietly. spoke in whispers. gave hnr-
ried orders to the nurses. etc., ana, III
fact. acted just as II we were engaged
on the biggest operation OF our lives.
Then one Of the assistants fetched = jug
OF iced water, and. holding II above the
supposed affected part, let the cold
fluid fall at the rate Of about one droY
every nye seconds. When the water
touched her body the deiuded patient
would vince and sroan as II In great
agony.
After we had gone on In this way
for some time the woman was swathe1
in bandages and conveyed by amhu-
lance to her room. On awakening she
found two trained nurses creeping
about the apartment one Of whom Inn
.nediately held a cup OF beef tea to her
lips and asked her to try and swallow
little. After a considerable effort size
succeeded. confidins to the nurse the
fact that she felt terribly weak and
larguid. There che remained for ten
days. after which she was allowed to
get up for time and her friends were
permitted to see her. In three weeks
she returned home perfectly cured OF
her maginary t1mor, and to this day
she does not know Of the hoax which
was played upon her.
'Hysteria. of course is the cause Of
most Of these imaginary illnesses, and
when patient has ii badly II Is al
most as difficult to cure as insanity
We had girl here a year ago who
was suffering from a most obstinate
attack Of hysteria, which took a very
curious form. She would never lie
down in her bed, but invariably sat bolt
upright with her back against the foot
rail, constantly turning her head from
side to side like an automaton. HAD
watched her do this curious action
many times and one day l asked her
why she continued it, to which she re-
piled that there was string to her
head which pulled it from side to side
and that until it was cut she would
have no rest
'"This remark gave me an idea and
asked her ii she would allow me to ex-
anime her head. She was perfectly
willing, and after an inspection last
ing twenty minutes I gravely an
nounoed that she was quite right ana
that the only cure was a slight opera.
lion in order to sever the string. She
rlapped her hands with delight like q
child and declared that It was what
she had told several doctors, but that.
hey had all laughed at her. Would 1
perform the operation at once?
thought it better, however. to defer
1oing so until the morning after / had
consulted the visiting surgeons.
Having explained the -circum-
stances. the imaginary operation was
agreed upon and the following morn,
ng the young lady was led into the
surgery. placed upon the Operating.
able and anaesthetics> administered.
Part of her luxuriant brown hair was,
tut off and a portion of the back Of
he head. about two inches above the
lape of the neck, was shayen smooth.
Then. in order that there should be
to show for the imaginary
operation. the scalp was lanced until
he blood ran, leaving a cut about two
md one-half inches in length. This
vas bound but not strapped and the
'atient was conveyed back to her bed.
where she remained for forty minutes
before returning to consciousness. y.
Meantime l had taken q piece Of an
ordinary violin string about four
inches long and soaked II in water un-
il it resembled a raw sinew, the OBJ
ect of this. OF course, being to show
he patient the actual string taken out
f her head.
when she was restored to con-
ciousness she was told how entirely
uccessful the operation had been ana
howH the string which had been the
ause of all her trouble. after which
he fell into natural sleep and awoke
restored. From that day to
his she has never suffered from n.y.
terra in any form and has been COM
leteiy cured Of her Authorization re-
her inability to keep her head
rom moving from side to SIDE"