Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-02
WHEELS OUT OF GEAR
New York Doctor Tells some OF the
Queer Decisions Met with
IN Practice.


Or. John d. Quackenbos Of New York
drew upon his pathological experiences in
the course Of a ''metapsychical talk" which
he read from q mahogany reading desk
on the "Delusions OF the sane; or, Truth
Stronger Than Fiction"
Almost his first instance was OF a well
known authoress.
This lady" said he, believes that shs
is under the hypnotic power Of a doctor,
who sends currents and vibrations into
her vital parts, with the purpose Of ap-
propriating her energies for his own use.
She feels the clutch of his hand. he comes
into her room in the form of a cloud his
astral wings flap beneath her bodice as
spirit-bird. which sucks from her soul the
life-blood OF her genius.
Another patient was haunted by a coarse
word which she saw scrubbed on some
fence. The word was ever on her tongue.
II had become the one subject OF her
waking thoughts and her dreams. and she
was tortured pby the fear that she might
lose self-control. utter the expression I'm
church or drawing room. and be ostracised
in consequence as. vulgar harridan. Moth
ing but suggestion can Immediately remove
such an obsession, and restore happiness
to a crushed life. Some times a single
treatment suf1ces. as in the case Of
SOhhA Bhi WIN an iubouc hnphASt 10
disrobe in the street cars"
Then the doctor told of the Paris woman
and the Yale man:
"A woman whom treated in Paris was
continually oppressed with the thought that
she had swallowed her needle. and would
make many visits TO her needlebook to
assure herself that It had not gone down
her throat. A neurasthenic Yale graduate
I have known TO stand on the front steps
with a batch OF letters in his hand I'M
decided as TO whether he had better mail
them in a lamp post box on Fifth avenue
or in one on Madison avenue equally dis
ytant from the house, until the mental con-
fiict precipitated an attack OF hysterical
weeping.
The Entertainment club sat bolt upright
when the doctor got so far az the woman
and the worms He said:
"A gentleman brought his wife to me a
few years ago suffering from post-grippal
delusion that her skin was covered with
worms. The wrinkles in her dress were
worms. Her finger tips were worn sore
from looking for worms in her clothing;
she could not sleep In robe de mutt, be-
cause the creases and gathers appeared to
be given to crawling. Every night the bed
filed with water in which fishes thronged
TO feed upon the wriggling bait. At the
third treatment made bold TO declare that
had captured the last worm, when my
sleeping patient retorted. There is one left.
doctor, biting me under my garter I
| clutched the last Imaginary offender, and
said in firm voice, 4 have got It; you win
| be troubled no more
Fancy my qualification on being waited
on a moment later by a radiantly happy
man who offered me his pull in congress
| IL ever wanted to get measure through,
| for said he, i am sleeping in fish pond
no longer"
The instance Of the hard-headed young
business man allowed the club to catch it's
breath.
"A young fellow of marked ability APP
| piled to me last autumn for the cure of an
Irresistible impulse to throw himself into
the arms of every corpulent woman he
saw, and he hushed of by her to sleep.
The pressure OF this outlandlsh inclination
had become so agonizing that he had
pia2ned TO escape from It by suicide"
But by far the best the doctor had to
give he kept to the last 1t was q touch-
ing story of young girl, Said Or. ouack-
enbos:
IT once prepared young woman to re-
ceive a proposal. She must not be too
eager and so convey the impression that
he had made an easy conquest. She must
not be too frisid and repel the advances
of affection worked one hour over q
sleeping beauty, impressing my views OF
the situation. and when walked her felt
that she was thoroughly equipped TO 50
through the trying ordeal Do you know
that man never came that night. He has
not since materialized as a lover. The
poor girl is still waiting for an opportunity
TO give expression to my instructions. On
Nwx1ae - wxa.A a
young man to sleep and get him ready to
make a declaration. But the girl threw
him down"
And then the doctor stepped sunilinsiy
down and partook OF lemonade and tea
biscuits with the members OF the club who
afterwards went thoughtfully home.-New
York World f