156 THE INTERNAL SECRETIONS—1920 
postural systolic blood pressure determinations in rat- 
ing the cardiovascular efficiency of men in air service. 
Crampton (6) has shown that the systolic pressure 
falls in the erect position in people weakened by dissi- 
pation, overwork, loss of sleep or disease. 
The term “neuro-circulatory asthenia” is good as far 
as it goes, but is it not really hypoadrenia? Any one 
doing much work with the chronically ill, those that are 
not sick enough to be in bed, but at the same time are 
not well enough to efficiently perform their daily duties, 
is frequently consulted by those in this large class. 
Their chief complaint is that they do not feel well. In 
these cases determine the blood pressure, both in the 
erect and the recumbent positions, and you will be sur- 
prised many times at the great difference in the systolic 
ficures. Often I have been confronted by people who 
say to me, ‘““What is the matter with me, I’m not worth 
anything. My doctor tells me there is nothing the mat- 
ter with me, but I know there is.”” At this point let me 
appeal for more honesty in our statements to our 
patients. When we are unable to find trouble in a given 
patient, let us frankly tell him we find nothing, instead 
of saying, “There is nothing wrong with you.” It is 
this kind of a patient that, after going the rounds of 
many physicians, finally becomes disgusted and takes 
up Eddyism. Later he honestly tells how he was 
“healed” of some disease that one of thhe many doctors 
said he had. I distinctly recall a prominent business 
man who had the “flu” in 1918. He had consulted sev- 
eral doctors about his condition and was advised to take 
a trip and forget it. He took the trip, but was not 
benefited. Then his own doctor told him he was lazy. 
His complaint was about like this: He arose and felt 
fairly well, breakfasted and went to his work. By noon 
he was tired, by 3 P. M. he was very tired, and by 6 
P. M. he was “all in.” After dinner he had no desire 
for reading, dancing, cards or theater; the only thing 
