, 1885-06-27
esfeor Of faloar ON nae MIno.
Remarkable Actions of tho Crowd Dur
ing tho Earthquake In Ischia-

lNew York SUM-
An interesting account of the mental
states induced by fright was given some
time since by DR.. Fazio, who was an
eye witness Of the great earthquake in
lschia. lie says the emotions awakened
by the catastrophe were of the most
varied character. During the fifteen
seconds that the shock continued
everybody stood still, seemingly rooted
to the ground with terror. Men
were weak in the knees and shook as
with aguc, feeling as though they were
about to fall. Soon the stiffness was
broken by loud cries and howls, and
eyery one rushed toward the shore.
Then women and children fell into con
WILSON'S, or appeared to be semi-par-
alyzed and speeches.. Rudeness and
brutality were mingled with self-sacr
fee and heroism of the most exaltel
character.
Six hours after the catastrophe the
stiffness Of death reigned over Casamie-
cola. Men wandered about the ruins
hall clad and silent, as if risen from
the grave; women were excited and hys
t~erical; children of 8 or 10 years
seemed dazed and stupefed, while
smaller children stood around uncon-
cernedly, eating whatever attractive
food they could find in the ruins. II
was most interesting to see the differ
ent ways in which individuals were af-
fected by the shock.
The keeper of a refreshment booth,
who had lost everything, kept Offering
his d~elicacies to those who passed by,
Just rs though his whole stock had not
been swept away in the debris caused by
the earthquake. A surgeon, covered
with blood and soreiy wounded by the
falling beams, was concerned only for
his instruments, and inquired after
them Of everybody whom he encoun-
tered. An h sterical woman, who had
been bedridden for months, jumped up
and saved herself by flight, and re-
manned permanently cured. A very
considerable number of instances of
this kind are well authenticate }, and
the reports seem to show that diseases
not generally classed as nervous, and, at
all events, not wholly nervous in char
acter, OTTER disappear under influences
of ID strong emotional character. Many
persons at Ischia, who were brave and
full of energy Immediately after the
first shock of the earthquake, became
depressed, OIL wholly apathelic, later in
the day, or had o n lsions, or alter
nate fits of laughter and crying. Some
times an attack of melancholia was in
duced which continued for months, and
many peop became incurably insane.
These were, perhaps, persons having the
insane temperament, though the actual
manifestation of it might never have
taken place except under the influence
OF a great nervous shock. In many
instances there was an aversion for food,
lasting for hours after the catastrophe.
There were several instances in which
the hair was whitoned by fright, and
even some boys of 10 to II years showed
heads sprinkled with gray. Many of
the unfortunates who were buried in
the ruins exhibited the greatest indif-
ference to their fate, following list
lessly with their eyes the motions of
those busted in their rescue. Those whose
occupations had led them to acquire a
habit of GOODNESS in danger soomcd 10
retain their imperturability. A foreign
officer, whose legs were imprisoned IN
der some heavy timbers, drew out a
cigarette and smoked it with the utmost
nonChalance. One man, as soon as he
was pulled from the ruins, shook his
rescuer by the hand and pre-
oeHltu UNI Win MS caro-. An
other, who lay in the debris
for twenty hours, Immediately looked
at his watch in order to ascertain the
exact moment of his del~iverance. A
lady who had just been extricated from
a mass of rubbish would not bulge from
the spot until she could ascertain the
fate of her pet dog, which was buried
with her. one woman, Who was nearly
covered up in the debris, heard a man
calling loudly for his daughter. She
attracted his attention to her, and sue
ceeded in making him believe that she
was his lost child. So cunningly did
she practice this deception that the old
gentleman had rescued her from the
ruins before the trick was discovered.
Most of the people, however, who were
imprisoned beneath the ruins were too
Indifferent to their fate to make any at
tempt to get free through stratagem. 1t
is a curious fact that most of them had
become regardless OF the fight of time.
and had not the faintest idea as TO how
long they had remained buried. In
very many cases those who had been
wounded by falling buildings were
obliged to undergo severe surgical oper.
atoms. Most of them experienced no
pain while under the knife, though they
were manifestly in a condition of exces-
siye sensibility to most of the impress
sions Of ordinary life.