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 

 figures. 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 



