A practical treatise on nervous exhaustion (neurasthenia) : its symptoms, nature, sequences, treatment / by George M. Beard ; edited, with notes and additions, by A.D. Rockwell.

  • George Miller Beard
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A practical treatise on nervous exhaustion (neurasthenia) : its symptoms, nature, sequences, treatment / by George M. Beard ; edited, with notes and additions, by A.D. Rockwell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    conditions the minor treatment is often necessarily- varied to meet special annoying symptoms. In lithasmia, for example, constipation may be met by the moderate use of mineral waters, especially of the Carlsbad and Eubinat varieties, because of the large amount of sulphate of sodium they contain, and occasionally more active cholagogue cathartics can be used with advantage. The natural lithic waters are also of value and always in oi'der. As for neuras- thenia, the remedies suggested for its relief are as numerous as the symptoms which it presents, and their enumeration alone would fill a page. If we once fully appreciats the fact that the two diseases demand diametrically opposite methods of treatment, that the relief of lithtemia in great measure depends upon, as it is caused by, the food we eat and what we drink, as well as habits of exercise, aod that neurasthenia is caused by worry and work and nerv- ous strain, our knowledge of the effects of food in the organism, together with the exercise of ordinary sense and judgment, will enable us to deal intelligently with both these conditions.] Distinguished from Syphilis.—Syphilis sometimes simulates neurasthenia; the irregularity of many of its phenomena, such as sudden loss of power of one limb or of several limbs—coming and going—tingling and numbness in the extremities, cramp and twitch- ings of the muscles, especially at night, disturbances of the special senses, transient and curable impotence —all suggest neurasthenia, and of themselves alone are not sufficient to enable us to make out a diagnosis of syphilis. The syphilitic origin of such symptoms is established by these four considerations: 1. The history of the case. 2. Other symptoms of syphilis.
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