El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-04

Incident can be related briefly, 1t Is
illustrative of the doctors patient meth
DDS that he had to use more than 5000
words in the course Of many treatments
before he set the mans mind to think
ing of the actual cause Of the trouble.
The successful word was DOCTOR" al
though such words as germ and
disease" had failed to make any sub
stantial suggestion TO the patients
mind.
Young Woman Cured.
One of DR.. Franz's patients was a
beautiful young woman who was taken
to him because she had fear of any
thing red. Red curtains, red carpets
or anything Of that color threw her
into what amounted to commissions OF
fear He took her into the darkened,
quiet room.
It was summer afternoon, and
nothing could be heard but the smooth
hum Of an electric fan on the table
He allowed her TO sit perfectly quiet
for more than five minutes. Then he
leaned forward. and, tapping her on the
knee, said 9sharply: Suicide"
Eyes. yea" she said, and hesitated a
moment Then she continued: TT was
at ball"
Pistol" exclaimed the doctor That
brought back the whole story OF how
she had been at a german one even
ing and had seen a man commit sui
eide in conservatory by shooting him
self in the temple The sight Of the
blood on the suicides shirt front had
been the starting point of her delusion.
She was cured in two weeks.
Forgefs Own Identity.
A peculiar case was that of man
who had suddenly forgotten his own
identity, and had travelled through six
different states without knowing who
he was He was picked up in the streets
of Washington and sent TO the hospital
for the insane. There was nothing to
suggest who he was. absolutely no clue
to his home, his occupation or his name.
1t afterward developed that he had
been away from home eight months,
and had been going down hill all the
time until he looked like the most mis-
cradle of tramps.
The doctor saw the futiIity Of trying
to suggest to him his identity by using
all the names he had ever heard Ac--
cordingly. he tried the employment line.
None of the ordinary professions
brought any response. Mention of doc
tors. lawyers. journalists or ministers
gave no result. The same was true OF
all the words referring to such avoca-
lions as plumbers. bricklayers. car
penters and teamsters.
Finally the doctor said: II am look
ing for somebody to tune my piano"
It proved to be the right cue. The pa
tient was a piano tuner from one of the
middle western states After three
weeks OF questioning and prompting,
the doctor retraced with the man all
his wanderings, made him remember
his name and restored to him the com
plete mastery Of all his mental facul-
ties.
breads Horse Shoe
One Of the most battling cases Franz
ever had was the man who not onIy
was frightened every time he saw a
horseshoe, but who was constantly pos
sessed of the idea that il would be
used as a means Of killing him OF
course, the natural assumption was
that he had been kicked by a horse
or run over by one, and that the shock
Of the accident had unseated his reason
Working on this theory the doctor
wasted many precious sittfngs and used
UP hundreds Of words without making
any progress toward discovering the
true cause of the trouble II finally
developed that the fellow had been
struck on the head by a horseshoe
which had been nailed over a door for
good luck" and which had fallen on
him as he entered a friends house.
A direct opposite of the man who
feared the open places was the woman
who dreaded all closed or dark places
She had claustrophobia. and had de-
veloped the mania of Stayfng outof
doors, sleeping outOfdoors and never
entering the house unless cornpeled to
do So As is often the case with others
her trouble had come from an accident
to her child. She had seen il while
playing in a big linen closet. have ira
hand caught and crushed by the clos
ing of a heavy door and the shock OF
the child's suffering proved on her
mind until she had come To fear anv-
thing with DOORS
The ''phObias" are the most troubls-
some durable cases with which the
| psychiarrtSt or alienfst has TO deal II
I any OF these patients had died while I,
| the worst stages of their mental de-
engagements, ard autopsies had hee1
performed on them. their brains womb
have appeared perfectly normal.
Their sufferings do not come from,
! any decay or disease of the brain +fs-
sues. and it has been demonstrated -ba+
were it not for the word Treatment
all that could be done for them would
be to allow them TO suffer for months
and months. perhaps years before thew
could recover With the new method
however. they are often cured in mar.
velOusly short time.
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