The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-07

overtaxtng their mental and physical
resources, many OF the leading phy-
sicians and scientists Of the United
States have abandoned drugs as the
cure for the nervous wrecks present.
ed to them for treatment. 1t Is be-
| coming the fashion among many OF
the most brilliant practitioners to
treat such cases with neither medi-
cine nor knife. The new remedy fs
thought, or the use OF suggestion
with the aid of hypnotism. There are
physicians in New York. Washington
and other large cities who say to
the exhausted, nervous society wo-
| man: You do not need medicine.
You must teach your brain and your
nerves to rest You must receive
into your mind the compelling mes
sage that the only thing which can
help you Is calrt and repose. We
can give 1t to you. but not by the
use of medicines or drugs"
To the business man, who has gone
| under such pressure that he can con-
troll neither his nerves nor his brain.
they give the same advice. Hypno-
tism. which was once regarded as
witchcraft and later as an tnstru-
! ment only for harm, has become
| benign influence on modern Ameri-
can life, practical remedy for the
distincttvely American ailmant OF
nerves" and the mental troubles
which follow. 1t has harmonized
! many a shattered system 1T
has saved countless men and women
from insane asylums. and It has been
demonstrated as reliabIe cure or
| certain cases of drug and cigarette
| habits.
| A Washington physician, who IS
known as one OF tne pioneers In the
movement To treat the ailments "
| the brain by the curative force of a
healthy ana normal mind. recently
HAD young man patient who was
literally nervous ana physical
| wreck from the use OF cigarettes. he
| told the patient snat hypnotic sus
gestion was the only possible cure
for him, and the young man agreed
| to try 1t. For Ave different treat
ments he was hypnotized, and there
was conveyed to his receptive mind
| by the physician this one thought:
| You will never want to smoke an
other cigarette: but. II you do, 1t
| will make you feel deathly sick. so
sick that you will never try to smoke
| again" After the nth treatment,
the doctor declared the cigarette vic
tim cured. Two days went by with
| out any craving for cigarettes on
the young mans part On the third
day he attempted to smoke one, but
was seized with such a=yioient nausea
that to this day he has never touch
ed another cigarette,
This Is serViceable example OF the
simplicity of the cure which has been
advanced for o nation which is nerve
ridden. That such remedy was
sorely needed Is shown by the fact
| that, while the death rate from con-
| tagfous diseases has dropped 40 per
cent since 1880. the rate from kid
ney, heart and mental troubles has
| increased SO per cent. The physicians
cay that the women OF America, as
Well as the men, live on their nerves
because they do not stop when their
wearied bodies cry out for rest. They
see everybody else on the go. and they
do not believe that they can AFFORD
| 10 be left out
A New York physician Is authority
for the statement that the number
of nervous collapses and breakdowns
among society women has grown to
an almost incredible extent. A Wash
ington doctor says that In addition
/ to society leaders being broken In the
4 fierce social competition, there are
members OF Congress and other gov
eminent officials who break under the
strain. Both physicians agree that
much OF the nervous trouble Is caus-
ed by the increase In drinking and
smoking in what Is known as high
society"
The New Yorker on one occasion
treated a society woman who was
plainly the victim of Intoxicating
drink. He asked her If she drank to
surprise that he should ask the ques-
ton. Finally, her explanation was
that she drank nothing but absinthe.
that she did this only when she need
ed 1t as medicine. that she fire.
quently became exhausted by her So
cial duties, constant calls and late
hours. and that absinthe was the
only tonic which kept her on her feet.
Upon his SAYING she must discontinue
the absinthe drinking. she protested
her utter inability to do SO. After he
+ had treated her by hypnotic suggas-
| ton she neither liked nor needed abb
sinthe. She let IT alone absolutely and
In three months was again well and
strong.
This same doctor had the case OF a
broker, who had formed the habit
Of buttoning and unbuttoning the top
button Of his coat. It was merely an
evidence that his nervousness was SO
great as to need an outward express
sion of some kind. but It had grown
to such an extent as TO make him
appear ridiculous to his friends and
business associates. There was never
moment, when his hands were free.
that he was not buttoning and unbut-
toning the coat or course, when he
became convinced that he could not
stop the habit, he at that moment did
lose control of the situation. 1t was
then that he went to the physician
for the hypnotic treatment. 1t re-
ouired only two treatments for him to
become convinced that the buttoning