Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-08
Nerve Disease Blamed
For mobility to Weep :
Cases Seen to Run in Families,
Medical Report Points Out
By Thomos R. Henry


A hitherto unknown nervous disease.
one Of the striking symptoms Of which
is inability to weep, has been reported to
the American Medical Association.
It is q malady of the autonomic nerv-
Gus system which seems to run in FAM
lilies and which. to date, is confined to
the Jewish race.
A total Of 80 cases have been recorded
to date, according to the report Of DIR.
Conrad M. Riley Of Columbia University.
He calls the disease, for want Of better
name. "familial autonomic distinction"
It has quite complicated syndrome, all
the symptoms in which do not appear in
all cases.
All the patients, says DR.. Riley, "have
failed to produce tears in normal FASH
ion. Usually this has been absolute, but
In one or two cases an occasional tear
has been SEEN"
Other Symptoms Noted.
Other symptoms: Red blotches appear
on the face, chest and shoulders when
the patient Is eating. or excited. These
disappear in ten or Is minutes when the
stimulus which caused them is with
drawn.
All patients sweat excessively, especial
ly when In any way excited.
Drooling from the mouth continued
long past infancy and was exaggerated
during excitement.
All either responded excessively, or
did not respond at all, to minor emotion
al stimuli. This made their relation
ship with other persons quite difficult
and management within the home has
proved a major problem. Their span of
attention is short and their behavior il
unpredictable.
All are awkward with the hands and
have peculiar shuffling gait. They
also have quite characteristic thicken-
ing Of the speech.
The patients seem relatively indif-
erent to pain. Reports on this are
available for % cases. When a limb
was put in ice water, for example, there
was no complaint. They did not notice
minor bruises. One child had broken
wrist, discovered only from the swelling.
But the patients really feel. They
recognize pin pricks easily.
Most examined to date have had
high blood pressure. This Is especially
true when there Is any minor excite
ment.
Personality Changes.
Almost two-thirds Of the children
have severe attacks Of cyclic vomiting.
recurring at intervals which range from
a few days to several months. With
these attacks the personality changes.
A previously cheerful, cooperating child
will become sullen and destructive.
Usually the vomiting attack lasts two
or three days. Usually the vomiting and
the personality change would terminate
abruptly at the same time.
There is an unusual susceptibility to
lung nfections-especially bronchitis
and pneumonia. The frequency of such
diseases goes down as the children grow
older, but it Is major source of danger.
There are frequent fevers. for which
no adequate explanation can be found.
Some have attributed this to disturbance
of the temperature-regulating center
in the brain.
The patients are prone to breath
holding spells during infancy. This
usually disappears after the first year
or two.
More than half the victims have
shown some mental retardation and at
first it was thought that this was a
regular part Of the syndrome. few.
however. have shown superior intelli-
gence.
Commissions are reported for more
than half Of the victims. In some cases
there has been q history Of repeated
commissions, but usually only one or two
seizures associated with fevers have
been reported.
Although cases seem to be grouped
in families there is no evidence that 1t
Is hereditary. In no instance studied
to date have parents shown any similar
conditions.