Hysteria : the history of a disease / by Ilza Veith.

  • Ilza Veith
Date:
1970, ©1965
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Hysteria : the history of a disease / by Ilza Veith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    102/128 (page 96)
    recovery than any instrument in surgery bearing that name. A young lady of eighteen, and of slight form, was brought to me from the country with gastrodynia. For upward of a year she had suffered intolerable pain in the stomach on taking food of any description. She was much emaciated, and her pulse extremely feeble. Neither trouble nor ex- pense had been spared in her treatment. Her family had consulted medical men of eminence in more than one me- tropolis, but the severity of the pain continued in spite of treatment. On entering the drawing-room, I heard the sound of suffering from an adjoining room, and I was told that my future patient was paying the penalty of a slight meal of arrow-root, of which she had swallowed a few ta- ble-spoonfuls only. Having intruded myself into the room somewhat unexpectedly by its occupants, I saw this young lady in a condition of great suffering, in the upright posi- tion, leaning her head on her mother's shoulder, and sob- bing painfully. In the course of a quarter of an hour I had obtained some insight into her case, but 1 could not fail to observe that the mother habitually interposed replies to questions addressed to the daughter, and I explained to her the necessity of my obtaining the answers to my inquiries direct from her daughter. At my request she left the room. Up to that time I had but an imperfect knowledge of the case, but I then led the conversation to subjects which car- ried the girl away from her malady and all its associations. I spoke of her home and the scenery around it, of which I described the general characters, and enlarged on the beauty of the neighborhood, the lovely rides and excursions, etc.,