The Opelousas courier., 1893-11-11

a CURIOUS AEFLICTIoN THAT is
COMMON AMONG MALAYs.
A Form of Nervous Excitement Pecu-
liar to ~ Single Race-Symptoms
of the stLatah.D

of the ftLatah.D
TT seldom happens that any forr
OF disease presents al aspect a
purely ludicrous i'll it's ordinar,,
6 manifestations as to be a fit sub
ject for lay discussion. Such, how
ever, Is the singular and as vet mex
planned affection known by the Mala,
name of 'latah." AS might be inferred
from its title, it is, although not TN
known amongst other nationalities, al
almost purely Malay disease, and ha,
naturally attracted the attention o
Europeans residing i'll tho countries
peopled by the race in question. L
IS at theEame time questionable, says
the Pail Mall Gazette, whether one
person il ten Thousand in Great Britain
has ever heard the word, or known
that such & curious affection prevails
amongst any portion of the human
race.
How to define latah is somewhat
puzzling. If any short equivalent De
desired, It may be described as ali IL
resistible impulse to initiate the words
or actions Of those around them. An.
other form OF the disease, very often
not less startlln9"to the onlooker, is
the exhibition Of intense nervous ex-
cltement when some particular word
is mentioned-usually in the form of
most abject fear. A third and less
noticeable form is the exhibition of
alarm at some unusual but not ordin-
arlly terrifying sight or sound, much
as a child will start at the sound of a
gun, or a grown person Or suddenly
discovering a corpse.
The two tir8t-named manifestations
are, of course, those which strike the
spectators and auditors as most strange
and Inexplicablo. The nervous i'm
p~ressionability Of the Malays in other
ways Is we'll known to all who have
lived among them. A very slight
cause Will change an ordinarily placid
and l~nOtfensive native into a very de-
mon OF rage, the extreme illustration
of such a mental condition being
known as running amok'-or, as
foreigners usually call it, "amuck."
Over and above a readiness to take Of
Tense at unjust blame, or what he con-
siders disrespectful treatment, native
public opinion considers a Malay dis
honored who does not avenge q blow
by taking the lie of the party giving
it, not at the moment, but on some
subsequent occasion when the intend
ed victim is off his guard. 1t would
be going too far to say that a tendency
to sulk and take revenge ac-
counts for the Malay liability
to !atah. o. many other .peo-
pies among whom the disease is I'M
known develop the same disposition,
while aimos5 destitute OF the child
like good temper and unaffectedly
good manners of the Malayan tribes.
All that can be asserted is that such
a disease would never exist among a
phlegmatic race. Nor, again, must it
be imagined that latah is of everyday
occurrence. Many people have lived
in the Straits Settlements for over
twenty years without ever seeing a
single case of it.
Let us then describe its peculiar fea.
lures. The impulse to initiate the
words or actions of others is some
time eyinced in not merely q ludicrous
but a most distressing way. In some
cases it should be promised the attack |
occurred only at long intervals; in
others the patients are habitually sub
iected to the disease, and can at almost
any time be compelled to exhibit it.
When this results in any unpleasant
consequence the latah lit is customary
to apply the word both to the disease
and to the patient, while quite unable
to resist the strange influence exerted
will keenly resist the practical joke.
An absurd manifestation of the dis
ease was provided by Il Malay woman,
who, on seeing her master tear up q
letter and throw it out of the window,
at once followed suit with a basket of
clean clothes she was carrying. No
great harm, of course, resulted in this
case, but tragical affects have more
than once followed practical jokes
With latahs, The following instance,
related by Mr.. O'Brien, happened while
writer was residing at the place :
where it occurred. ?
The ships cook of one of the local
,oasting steamers happened to be 8
pronounced sufferer from the disease,
md, as but too commonly happens i'll
such cases, was continually victimized
0y his shipmates. AS d rule the effects
we're simply lu%dierous, and hugely
amused the crew, who shared the fond
ness for horseplay proverbial among
European sailors. On the occasion in
question the cook was dandling his
baby on the for, ard deck. One of the
men, noticing this, picked up a billet
If wood, and, standing in front of the
atah, commenced nursing it in the
'ame way as the latter was handling
he baby. Presently he began tossing
he billet up to the awning, the cook
initiating his motions with the baby.
suddenly the sailor opened his arms
md the billet fell to the deck. The
Unfortunate latah did the same, and
he child, falling on the planking, was
instantly killed.
The second form of latah mentioned
in which intense nervous ex-
'itement is caused by the mention Of
cine particular word, is scarcely less
to onlookers than that already
The patient in this case
will exhibit uncontrollable fear, evinced
" running awaya at full speed or plung-
ng into a jungle if ON shore, or by
umping overheard if in a ship or boat,
It the mention Of some animal or rep
lie. Some are thus affected if q COM