VII.

HYPOCHONDRIA

Il marche, dort, mange et boit comme tous les autres; mais cela n'empeche
pas qu'il soit fort malade.

MOLIERE: _Le Malade imaginaire_.





The victim of hypochondria may present the picture of health, or may have
some real ill regarding which he is unduly anxious. His consultation with
a physician is likely to be preceded by letters explaining his exact
condition, naming his various consultants and describing the various
remedies he has taken. At the time of his visit notes are consulted, lest
some detail be omitted. In his description anatomical terms abound; thus,
he has pain in his lungs, heart, or kidney, not in his chest or back.
Demonstration by the physician of the soundness of these organs is met by
argument, at which the hypochondriac is generally adept.

The suggestion that the hypochondriac devotes undue attention to his own
condition is met by him with indignant denial. Proposals that he should
exercise, travel, engage in games, or otherwise occupy himself, fall on
deaf ears, but he is always ready to try a new drug. If a medicine is found
with whose ingredients the patient is not already familiar, its use is
likely to produce a beneficial effect for a few days, after which the old
complaint returns.