Hypothyroidism Treatment : "Oh, I must have the operation!" she exclaimed, alarmed and indignant that I might try to forestall it.
Similarly on another occasion when I was examining the dowager of a distinguished old family, I expressed astonishment at the number of surgical scars which crisscrossed her abdomen like the lines on the map of Europe. She took my comment for a compliment, and enumerated her operations with pleasure, labeling each scar with the name of one or another eminent surgeon and the enormous fee that went with each. She had forfeited to the scalpel every organ that it is possible to live without.
Menninger interprets this repeated submission to the surgeon's knife as an expression of unconscious guilt. The sufferer, anticipating punishment for his unknown crime, repeatedly offers a part of his body in expiation, hoping that life itself will be spared to him. After the operation, Menninger points out, there is a marked period of relief and well-being, as though the criminal were enjoying a reprieve. Whatever the unconscious reasons may be, it is certain that the almost aggressive demand for surgery is a symptom of the self-destructive force on the rampage.
Sometimes we do emerge from the hospital with a serious problem solved or a needed adjustment made. How much better, if we can, to attack the problem and make the adjustment without sacrificing an organ in the struggle!
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