Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-10-26
IMAGINARY ILLS.

A noted pugilist, Il perfect physical
specimen and a fearless fighter, had
some domestic trouble and developed
q fear that he was losing his mind. I'm
der the influence of this fear, he devel-
oped a string Of symptoms.
A sheep rancher who has passed
through the most nerve trying expert
ences without semblance of fear deVel-
oped fear of cancer of the stomach. His
fear caused him. to lose his appetite.
suffer pain in his stomach, become very
nervous, and to stay awake at night.
A policeman who had been in more
than n u fight n who had never
shown the white feather was cited be-
fore the trial board on charges. He be-
came afraid for his good name, his po-
sltlon, and his money savings. He de-
veloped a fear Of insanity n this
caused insomnia and pains in the head.
A general with a history of bravery
and valor suffered an injury to his
spine and developed a fear of paralysis.
hi fear caused him to become ner-
vous and sleepless and to have pain
and great weakness in his back.
A mine manager with ourag
enough tc kick out of his office three
men who held revolvers to his head
developed a fear of the pain occasioned
In injecting a nerve. In spite of his
nerve and bravery, the pain of a nee
die prick got his goat"
A physician developed q fear that he
would die from heart failure. A few
years ago after runnin~ for a train, he
noted that his heart was pounding hard.
The thought flashed through his mind
that acute dilatation of the heart was
possible. After that he became a vic
time of a set fear of heart disease.
DR.. Patrick, who cites these cases,
says that however brave a man may be
he is liable to develop a fear of some
thing with which he is not familiar. In
most instances all that is needed for
cure is a careful search for the cause of
the fear, a detailed understandable ex-
PLANTATION of the haselessness of the
fear. and some education of the sub
ject in control.
Even the most well possessed of
men are largely controlled by instincts
and emotions, not by knowledge and
judgment. Fear is a powerful emo
ton"
There is a difference not usually rec
ognized between fear and morbid i'm
| pulse. A woman so years of age would
not go near a window in office buildings
because she had an overpowering fear
that she would suddenly lose control of
herself and jump out. A man a an
impulse to kill his two sons IL be-
came possessed of the fear that he
morbid because she was afraid that she
| would have a sudden impulse to kill her
two little girls.
Patrick notes that these are not cases
of impulse. They are simple cases of
fear. The possibility that the impulse
| will come is negligibly small. DR.. Pat
rick says that people who are dominat-
ed by an idea are particularly prone to
these fears. The born enthusiast
makes a fine phibic." The person suf-
fering from a fear may not know hat
he is afraid.
A drummer could not go into a res
taurant without becoming shaky and
suffering from palpitation of the heart,
| pain in his heart, nausea, II cold
perspiration. On close questioning him
it developed hat he had once suffered
from ptomaine poisoning. but he en-
tirely overlooked any possible relation
between this experience and his synp.
toms.