Middletown transcript., 1881-04-29
Strange Antipathies.

could not bear to touch silk OF satin,
and shuddered when feeling the velvety
skin of peach. One of the earls of
Barrymore considered the pansy an
abOmination, and the unfortunate
Princess Lamballe looked upon vel
vet as a thing of horror. Scaliger
turned pale at the sight of watercresses,
and neither he nor Peter Abono could
ever drink milk. 1t is said of Cardan
that he was disgusted at the sight of
eggs. We have heard of valiant
soldier fleeing without shame from a
sprig of rue. The author of the ''Turk-
ish Spy tells US that provided he had
a sword in his hand, he would rather
encounter a lion in the deserts of
Arabia, than feel spider crawling on
him in the dark. William Matthews.
son OF the governor of Barbados, had,
like the above, great aversion to the
harmless spider. One day the duke of
AthOl, thinking his antipathy somewhat
affected, left him and his friends in the
room and came back with a closed
hand. Matthews thought he had a
spider concealed there, and becoming
furious, drew his sword and would
have done damage to the duke OF him
self, had not his friends interposed.
We hear from the philOsOphic Boyle
that the sharpening of knife OF the
tearing Of brown paper never failed to
make the gums bleed of servant he
once had. Chesne, secretary to Francis
|, always bled at the nose on seeing
apples "a gentleman, also, in the court
of the Emperor Ferdinand, had the
same indispOsition on hearing cat
NEW. In the Unirersal Magazine for
October, 1862, we read of a woman.
who on handling iron of any kind, was
Immediately bathed in perspiration,
though never otherwise affected in this
way. Mr.. Fehr relates in the
Academy of the Curious, y of young
woman at Schelestat, Germany, who,
for sixteen years had such an aversion
to wine that she could not. touch any
thing of its nature without perspiring
profusely, though she had been ac-
custOmed to drink it. John Pechmann.
a learned divine, never heard the floor
swept without being Immediately m-
easy, and feeling as though he was
suffocated. He would run away OF
jump out of the window at the sight of
a brush, the association with it and the
noise were so intOlerable. In Kings
. Ten Thousand Wonderful Things.'
we read of young man who was
known to faint whenever he heard the
servant sweeping. Mr.. E. Wriggles-
worth, in the Lamp, Roman Catholic
magazine, tells us of monk being
'erved with dish of crayfish, at which
le changed color, grew pale, started
'rodigiously, while the perspiration
poured down his face, and he appeared
n SO liquid state that he seemed in
lined to fall from his seat. He after
ward declared he had no idea of any,
hing that had happened, but at the
anne time related that as he was one
lay preaching, he observed a boy at the
hurch door with a crayfish in his hand.
N which he instantly felt the strongest
and that he should have
'ecome speechless if he had not quickly
urned his eyes from the object. NJ. de
1ancre gives an account of a brave
fficer so frightened at the sight Of a
mouse that he dare not look at one with
ut a sword in his hand. We read of
case of an officer who was only
roubled with fear in the presence of a
mothered rabbit. Another man was
ubdued by cold shoulder of mutton
The credulous DR.. Mather records an
ccount of young lady who tainted if
ny person cut his nails with knife in
ler presence but if done with scissors
he was Indifferent. Boyle, the philos-
pher, himself tells us that ne never
Onquered his uneasiness at the sound
4 water running and splashing through
pipe, and that he sometimes even
ainted. We are told of French people
partial to the odor of Jon
uils or tuberoses, who will swoon at
he smell of ordinary roses. Orfila, the
lstnguished French physician, fur
ishes an account of the painter Vim
ent, who was seized with violent
ertigo and swOoned when there were
Dses IN the room. Very extraordinary
the case that the eccentric Jean
acques Rosseau tells US of a Partisan
ldy who was seized with an involun-
lry and violent fit of laughter when
yer she heard any kind of music.
Ohm Keller, an ancient rector of Wielk.
small village of Silesa, was alarming
afflicted i'll the same manner when he
Nv pasty of roast hog served up,
hich is fayorite dish in that country.
[. de Lancre, again, gives a marvlous
count OF a man SO terrified at seeing
hedgehog that for two years he
lagined his bowels were gnawed by
le. 1t is said of Lord Lanerdale that
preferred the mewing of cat to the
Teetest music, while to the Lutte and
Igplpes he had great aversion.
Boyle, who seems to have paid some
tention to antipathy, records the case
man who felt natural repugnance
honey. Without his knowledge
me honey was introduced in a plaster
'plied to his foot, and the accidents
at resulted compelled his attendants
withdraw it. He has similar case
a lady with a similar aversion. Her
ysician mixed some with a plaster
lthout her cognizance, which caused
e most dangerous effects until the
aster was removed.-Er.