Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-05-09
A REMARKABLE AFFECTION
THE STRANGE FANcIE5 THAT DIS
TINGUIsH NEURoPHoBIA.
Persons with n Dislike for Certain
Streets, Places or ObjeCts--Others
who Dread letters or COlOrs.

In the afternoon of one of the sunniest
days last week two men got on Madi-
son avenue car going down town at the
corner of Fifty-fourth street. One was a
thin, pallid, rather emaciated gentleman,
possibly forty years of age, with rather a
peculiar transparency of the temples,
restless eyes, and singular nervousness
of manner; the other large, well nour-
ished, massive and rather corpulent, with
the placid, self-satisied countenance of
the man who has succeeded in the world,
and feels on good terms with it. The
pair might readily have been mistaken
for madman and his keeper only the
feebler of the two was evidently not past
panion was trile less vigilant than the
custodian of maniac ought to be, and
moreover was recognized by at least one
passenger as famous physician.
The thin gentleman shifted his posi-
ton uneasily, gazed out of the car win
dow a moment, then studied the faces of
his three or four fellow passengers with
the rapid intensity of a physiognomist,
and glanced furtively at the open door,
In which the figure of the conductor was
framed like full-length photograph.
''Fares, gents" grumbled that func-
tionary, stalking into the ear. The thin
gentleman paid for two, and again
glanced in the direction of the open
door. His hand shook as he replaced his
pocketbook, and shiver passed over
him. His portly companion turned and
spoke to him in a low tone. The words
were inaudible, and the intonations were
soft, soothing, and evidently expostula-
tory Suddenly the pale passenger sprang
to his feet, pulled the bell violently, and
rushed out Of the car which was now
midway between orty-eighth and Forty
ninth streets. The portly physician rose
from his seat in leisurely, comfortable
sort of way. and alighted at the corner
of Forty eighth street, where the car
came to full stop. The thin gentleman,
excited, nervous, out of breath, and
trembling all over like leaf in the wind,
Joined the doctor and began to speak
apologetically: "No use, you see.
can't stand it. You really must excuse
me, doctor"
''Pooh pooh!" laughed the portly
physician. "You'll conquer the thing
by and bye. Try again my dear boy"
'I'll step across and take the elevated
downtown, with your permission, doc
tor" said the thin gentleman, making no
direct reply to his friends exhortation.
He lifted his neat Derby hat, with hand
that was almost pellucid in its delicacy
md whiteness, and was gone.
''That man, " said the doctor, ''is one
of q hundred cases that have come under
my notice in the last few years. sUI stns5o
case of nervous impression. He is not in
the least timid; will ride downtown In
Third avenue car, Broadway stage, or
an elevated train, with perfect composure,
but he has morbid, unconquerable ner-
vous terror of the Fourth avenue, and
would suffer any inconvenience or incur
any expense rather than ride in Fourth
avenue car. | can't trace this impression
to any tangible cause, nor can he. He
has never met with an accident on the
Fourth avenue, so far as he remembers.
1t is simply one of those inexplicable,
unreasoning, spontaneous impressions Of
the nervous system that no science can
explain. The man is not crank, nor in
the least given to eccentricities of opinion
or manners. On the contrary, his name
is familiar as that of shrewd banker
AS to courage, he is as brave as lion, a.
I have occasion to know, and would fight
odds of ten to one, if his blood was up
Only, the moment he finds himself on {
Fourth avenue car he is seized with {
paroxysm of nervous terror which he can
| not control; and that is the end of it. -"
The doctor unused a moment. ''Wall
across with me to my Office" he said
"and I'll talk with you by the way
Such cases are by no means uncommon
though no paper has ever been writer
on the subject, and there is no name fo
the malady in the medical books. Th,
late DIR. George M. Beard-as able anC
acute as he was eccentric-invented tn
term neurophobia to describe the condi
ton existing in such cases, and tn
singular thing about this neurophobia i
that it seldom occurs with women, give
as they are supposed to be, to nervou
impressions and hysterical fancies."
In one of the doctors office journal
there were notes of this case: A ratient
man of tolerably robust and well
nourished physique, forty-six years old
lawyer by rofession-cannot bear t
cross Broadway at the Astor house. Ii
will walk down to Fulton street or up t
Park place, but cross under the shado'
of the Astor house never. There is n
assignable cause for the terror; it simpl
exists md that is all. 1t came upon hir
suddenly one afternoon two years age
after hard days work in court II
started for the Astor house to get Gu
of coffee and his regular half dozen ra
oysters. To his wonder, as he was abor
to step from the curbstone at the cornC
of the postohice he was seized with
fit of trembling and terror, and sine
then he has never been able to comman
himself to cross at that point, though b
has often tested his self-control by try
ing it.
Another patient had the same terror
the Jersey City ferry at the foot of Cor
landt street. The Brooklyn ferries hay
no terrors for him, the Desbrosses stree
ferry is not Objectionable, but if his Iii
depended upon crossing to Jersey Cit
at Cortlandt street he could not con
mand his nerves to accomplish it. AS
the other two, there is no assignab
cause for the morbid impression in tn
case. 1t came suddenly, and has bee
IN existence for four years.
Sometimes" continued the docto
"the victim has terror of a certai
street, avenue, or public square; and OF
man | know cannot pass the statue
Lincoln at Union square without exp
riencing a nervous trcmor. But, Wi
, regard to some of our outdoor statuar
| nervous dread is natural enough" F"
Zone of my patients" he went o.
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