Observations on functional affections of the spinal cord and ganglionic system of nerves, in which their identity with sympathetic, nervous, and imitative diseases is illustrated / by William Griffin and by Daniel Griffin.

Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on functional affections of the spinal cord and ganglionic system of nerves, in which their identity with sympathetic, nervous, and imitative diseases is illustrated / by William Griffin and by Daniel Griffin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    relief, as the simple direction to the patient to exercise a little resolution, and totally disregard her pain. We may refer to those severe neuralgic aftections, so closely resem- bling disease of the hip-joint, described by Mr. Brodie; which he tells us always recover most rapidly when wholly unattended to, but are sure to become troublesome if the patient or her friends are anxious about them. There is a case related by Mr. Travers, in his letter respecting the celebrated recovery of Miss Fanshaw, in which a lady, after having been ineffectually treated for a length of time by medical men of high repute, was at last perfectly and rapidly cured by an experienced practitioner; whose only prescription w'as, that she should pursue her former avoca- tions, and never think about her pains*. It is not very difficult to distinguish the instances or the period of the complaint in which this plan may be adopted with success. The patient’s appetite is generally pretty good; and even when it is not so, there is no emaciation. She is nevertheless continually complaining and alarmed about herself. She evinces a propensity to watch and exaggerate every painful sensation, and will never allow that she is really better. The inequality of her manner is also very characteristic of the complaint. If her mind is interested, or if she is alone or thinks herself unnoticed, she is cheerful and occupied ; but all the contrary if her com- plaints are inquired about with any appearance of condo- lence. This does not proceed from any desire on the part of the patient to practise deception, but from a morbid sen- sibility imparting pain to the most common movements of the person, which originated perhaps in illness, but is per- petuated and increased by an habitual and ill-directed attention to every sensation. To succeed in the manage- ment of such cases, it is necessary that the patient should have the confidence of the practitioner, and be assured of eventual and perfect recovery. Of the influence of hope and confidence in the cure of these disorders, we believe the case of Miss Fanshaw might be stated as a remarkable * See Edinburgh Review.