The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-02-19

means, at least, that the heart can
be disturbed by psychologist states
and that this will often fool the
patient and sometimes the doctor
into believing that real organic
heart disease is present.
Physicians often speak Of q
cardiac neurosis' by which they
mean a patient who is so upset
about his heart or by the actions
Of his heart that it is difficult to
convince him that no serious heart
failure is present. These are very
difficult patients TO treat because
il is by no means easy TO convince
them Of this fact. And indeed
sometimes it almost looks as il
organic or at least physiologic
heart direa cou.d arise from an
upset nervous system.
Soldiers Heart
The condition described as "sol-
dier's heart" by DR.. da Costa, Of
Philadelphia, during the Civil
War and which We called neuro-
circulatory asthenia in World
War |. was unquestionably due 10
the interference of the emotions
Of fear and apprehension with the
normal functioning of the heart
rate.
There is a question which GER
tain psychologists have brought
up as to whether, in a person who
has first an emotional disorder
causing functional upset of the
heart, such as irregular pulse,
with the disturbance continuing
for a long time. it isn't possible
for structural or organic changes
to arise in the heart.
There is still another aspect of
the situation and it concerns the
situation where q person has &C
tusl organic heart disease, such as
high blood pressure or angina pee
toris. The question arises as to
what effect emotional storms have
on the course and outcome Of his
disease.
| have recently been shown ex-
amples Of two patients who exhib-
tied this relationship. One was a
man, IS years Of age, who had
for several years had symptoms Of
emotional upset in the form of de-
preston, irritability and restless
ness. Then one day he had a severe
pain over the heart with a smoth-
erinR sensation, a sense Of pres
sure in the chest and pain down
the left arm.
Symptoms Associated With Fear
These symptoms which were at
tributed to angina pectoris were
associated with great fear so that
within q short time it was difficult
to tell whether he was sicker from
his heart or from his emotional
state. In fact, he was sent by his
physician to a psychologist who
made a complete psychologist study
OF him and found that he remem-
bered being present when there
were arguments between his moth
er and his father, and as early as
the age of four these domestic
scenes would produce pain over mis-
heart.
Another patient with the same
feeling Of depression had pain
and q smothering sensation in the
chest. He stated that these al
ways occurred when his wife left
home for a visit; he assured the
physician that he would be all
light as sosn as his wife returned
to town.
Both Of these eases showed
evidence by instrumental exami-
nation Of considerable organic
trouble in the heart. and it is sig
nificant that both of them were
treated more by the psychologist
than by any drugs or physical
forms Of treatment
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
S. d. S.:-What is the illness
known as migrating thrombophle-
bits? Is there a cure for it?
Answer: Thrombophlebitis mi
grams is a curious disease in which
vein, usually on the hand, be-
comes hard and painful. This lasts
about a week and then a vein in
the arm, but not necessarily con-
nected with the vein in the hand,
becomes infiamed in the same way:
or perhaps a vein on the opposite
hand or arm is affected. This
may 60 on for some time, with
various veins all over the body
acting up in this fashion. The
cause is unknown and there is no
specific treatment, but all cases
eventually clear up without lAav.
ing any residue.