Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-23
MISS HYPOCHONDRIA,
FLAPPER.

have a letter from girl Z years
old. 1t is A pages long and in 1t
she gives me her symptoms and asks
269 numbered questions, but, since
many of the questions carry lettered
sub-questions the actual number Of
questions and ub-questions Is S24,
She wants full answer to each.
From this letter / learn that
within a year she has had two oper-
ations, in which she has had total
Of four things removed. She has
about made up her mind to have
another operation done.
But her operations, so far from
curing her, have left her an invalid
fer a year. She sits around all day
and does nothing. In her catalog of
present complaints ! find weak and
nervous, nervous spells. fainting
spells, shocks through the head,
navel pains, neck pains, backache.
pains in abdomen, insomnia, ner
vous when people talk, wants to be
alone, constipation, rumblings in
bowels, bladder disease, kidney dis
ease, stomach disease, menstrual
trouble, uterine disease. lump in
breast. suppression Of urine
In addition she is interested in,
puI may HoL nave, bIlSfll 5 QlSedSe,
diabetes. ulcer of the stomach,
hemorrhoids, cancer fistula, dropsy,
paralysis, high blood pressure. blood
poisoning, enlarged turbinates and
catarrh.
OF course, the girl is a neurasthen-
ic. Being idle physically and men
tally, she is given to introspection.
Whenever she can stir up an ache
or pain her mind dwells on it. She
exaggerates it, multiplies it, say 500
times. Her letter gives evidence of
both physical and mental bad hab-
its. Yielding to her aches and pains,
some composed out of the blue. and
some merely the ordinary minor
discomforts of the flesh, magnified
manifold. She sits around idle and
waited on. This has, led to bad ply
sical habits as to muscle ease. use
of joints, bowel habits, and bladder
habits. In turn her bad physical
and mental habits have increased
such physical basis as there is.
Discussing aches and pains, for,
doubtless, of her circle she is the
most experienced member, she in
vents new ones. And those opera
tons! My, how an operation does
impress such mind! Is it any
wonder she wants to be whitfield
some more?
Who is responsible? / imagine
many have contributed. Her par
ents probably have contributed
most. She inherited poor nervous
balance in all probability and doubt
less she was poorly trained. She
was never taught self-controI, poise,
unselfishness, social responsibility.
She does not mention either parent
or brother or sister in her A pages.
| think her school teachers failed
In their duty in part. Certainly her
doctors. surgeons. hospitals and
nurses have contributed their parts.
/ expect I have some responsible
ity. In response to her Al page let
ter l wrote her the plainest letter
she ever got, but I did not answer
one of her 324 questions. l told her
the only way of escape for her that
I could see
1t is characteristic Of neurasthen-
les to blame others. From time
to time this girl will doubtless
blame her inheritance, her parents.
her teachers. her doctors and me-
She is young-not beyond the age
where training is possible If she
does not train herself out of her
present state she can blame herself
more than all the others combined