Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-04
CURING THE INSANE
By Frederic j. Haskin

dirty looking. At the time this pa
TENTS companion had been physi-
clan, who had pointed out the probable
tiles of the tramp spreading disease.
Through some peculiar klnk In his
brain, the patient had dwelt on that
remark and had allowed 1t to become
the dominant thought In his life, re-
sulting in his having no other desire
than to take baths and wash his
hands. While this incident can be re-
lated briefly, 1t Is illustrative of the
doctors patient methods that he had
to use more than 5000. words in the
course of many treatments before he
set the mans mind to thinking OF the
actual cause OF the trouble. The sue
cessful word was doctor" although
such words as germ" and disease
had failed to make any substantial
suggestion to the patients mind.
One of DR.. Franz patients was
beautiful young woman who was taken
to him because she had fear or any
thing red. Red curtains, red carpets
or anything of that color threw her
into what amounted to eonvulsions of
fear He took her into the darkened,
quiet room. 1t was a summer after-
noon and nothing could be heard put
the smooth hum OF an electric fan on
the table. He allowed her to sit per-
utes. Then he leaned forward, and
tapping her on the knee, said sharply;
"Suicide!" Eyes. yes" she said, and
hesitated n moment. Then she con.
tinued: ut was at ball. Piston
exclaimed the doctor. That brought
back the whole story of how she had
been at german one evening and had
seen a man commit suicide in con-
servatory by shooting himself 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.
A peculiar case was that of a man
who had suddenly forgotten his own
identity and had Travelled through SIX
different states without knowing VINO
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, abso-
lutely no clue to his home his occupa-
ton or his name. 1T afterwards deVel-
oped that he had been away from
home eight months and had been go
ing down hill all the time until ne
looked like the most miserable OF
tramps. The doctor saw the futility
of trying to suggest to him his iden-
tlty by using all the names he mad
ever heard. Accordingly, he tried the
employment line. None OF the Ordinary
professions brought any response.
Mention of doctors, lawyers, journal
lists or ministers gave no result. Ihe
same was true of all the words REFER
ring to such avocations as plumbers.
bricklayers, carpenters and teamsters.
Finally the doctor said: II am look
ing for somebody to tune my piano.
1t proved to be the right cue. The pa
tient was a piano tuner from one OF
tnts
weeks of question and prompting, the
doctor retraced with the man all MS
wanderings, made him remember ms
name and restored to him the complete
mastery of his mental faculties.
one of the most battling cases franz
ever had was the man who not only
was frightened every time ne saw
horseshoe, but who was constantly pos
sessed of the idea that it would be
used as a means Of killing him. or
course the natural assumption was that
he had been kicked by a horse or run
over nv one, and that the shock OF
the accident had unseated his reason.
Working on this theory the doctor
wasted many precious sittings and used
up hundreds of words without making
anv progress toward discovering the
true cause OF the trouble 1t finally de-
veloped that the fellow had been struck
on the head by a horseshoe whlch had
been nailed over a door for good iuck'
and which had fallen on him as ne en-
tered a friends house.
A direct opposite of the man VINO
feared the open places was the woman
who dreaded all closed or dark places.
She had claustrophobia and had de-
veloped the mania OF staying out OF
doors. sleeping out of doors ana never
entering the house unless compelled 10
do so. AS is often the case with motn-
ers her trouble had come from an ac-
cident to her child. she had seen IL,
while playing in a big linen closet nave
its hand caught and crushed by the
closing of a heavy door, and the shock
of the child's suffering preyed on her
mind until she had. come TO fear any
thing with doors.
The "phobias'' are the most trouble
some durable cases with which the
psychiatrist or alienist has to deal: *
anv of these patients had died wnile
in the worst stages of their mental de-
raneement and autopsies had been per,
formed on them, their brains wouiu
have appeared perfectly normal. Thelr
sufferings do not come from any decay
or disease of the brain tissues, ana II
has been demonstrated that were II not
for the word treatment" all that
could be done for them would be 10 az
low them to suffer for months anu
months, perhaps years, before tney
could recover With the new methou'
however, they are often cured in mar
Yelously short time.
-, =. "a 1Ia eovs that IL is right