The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-07-02
NAIL BITING A DISEASE.
Habit More Prevalent Among Girls
Than Roys-Resuit OF Imitation.

That the habit of nail biting Is a dis
ease among children, and not merely a
naughty trick, to be cured by punish
ment, is the scientific opinion of the IA
nous F~renchman, DR.. Edgar Berillon,
who was at one time associated with
Charcot and is at present secretary OF
the French Society of Hypnology and
inspector of State lunatic asylums.
Berillon names this SO called disease
"onachophagie," which at once gives an
air of Importance to the discussion, and
he states, as the results of nine years
study and experimenting. that it is an
unnerrring sign of incipient degeneration
of the NERVOUS system. he holds that
a child displaying any tendency toward
nail-biting, should at once be put under
a physicians eare, instead Of beng
The habit is more prevalent among
girls h a boys, and is probably due to
the fact-although this is not brought
out in Berillon's recent p-apers-that boys
are permitted to live healthier lives.
with more exercise and out-of-door
sports. In the report made, from an
examination of one of the average mixed
schools in Paris, the percentage of nail
biters among the girls was found to
be 81, while among the boys It was
served among the poorer students. Sey-
eral instructors in the Paris schools for
manual training have pronounced the
often totally unfit for technical educa-
ton. On rare occasions naii-bittGs
children were found to be infant prod
invariably outgrown.
Although the disease is frequently in
herited, it is more often the result q
imitation, which practically renders il
contagious. In English schools the hat.!k
is considered so harmful and SO easily
contracted h a the nail-biting children
n no icolatnI a1.1 ot1yhf in cork ra -
classes, besides beng subject to severe
and public reprimands. This idea of pun
:shing a naill-biter, Berilion regards as
would be manifested in scolding or whip
ping a child for having Group or meas
les, and that the habit demands careful
doubted, for not only is it on the In
crease. but in many cases 1t is accom-
panied in the second and thiru genera
lions by marked signs of physical degen-
Grafton.
The extent to which it prevails in Eng
land can be estimated from the fact
whose parents were of the middle class
at least so per cent. were habitual nail
biters. In America the disease is pre-
valent, to a marked degree: 1t may be
noticed at every turn on the street, in
the schools and on the street cars.
Wherever there is a group of school
and girls will be found eagerly devour-
ing their nails, and sometimes fingers as
well.
The fact hi after a time The habit
becomes automatic makes the curing of
it a difficult undertaking; but Berillon be-
lieves that it can be done and advo-
Gates the grouping of these children into
classes, where they may be submitted
to special discipline and hygienic treat
ment. As, however, the habit is the re-
suit of nervous degeneration, it can be
as easily treated at home. A nerve tonic
good food and plenty of exercise are ali
curing the after habit with children,
which may linger after the cause has
been removed, Ber:llon suggests thar
to, and that he be taught to regard the
habit as Observation-Disclosures Press.