The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-01-22
SHYNESS is SERIOUS.
MEDICAL EXPERTS SAY IT is A syMP-
TOM or MELANcHoLiA.

MEDICAL EXPERTS SAY IT'S A syMP-
TOM OF MELANcHoLiA.
n Takes Various Forms. hut IL Ipvariab'.
. For~runner Of Dementis-A Dise.'As
That should Ne Carefully Treated In
rtne-Aascts Men ~ Well - Women.
At last il has been discovered that the
reason the girl who seems exceedingly
shy acts in the fashion she does 10 that
she IL demented.
This il the result Of extensive investi-
CATION BY insanity experts ON both sides
OF the water. Exceptional bashfulness,
n il 10 called, 10 really shyness- 1t Is
morbid condition Of the mind, certain
sort Of dementia-
Often 10 the expression heard that q
person IL painfully shy. Yet in such an
instance no doubt has been raised as to
the mental condition Of the object OF
the remark. Nevertheless. it il far more
than probable that the individual refer
red to was suffering from insanity just
rs much il not more. than many per.
sons who are living ont tortured exist
ence within the walls of q madhouse.
It is q we'll known fact that one OF
the most notable symptoms Of insanity
il that which causes the person afflicted
TO shun the company Of others. Loneli-
ness il an incentive to insanity. Con-
finement in q solitary cell in . prison
often breeds madness It ia altogether
an unnatural mental condition which
impels o person to avoid the society OF
humanity. No one whose condition Is
normal ever consents TO such An exist
ence.
Just how the insanity expert looks at
shyness il shown by the following state
, ment made by DR.. G. W. Kunz OF New
: York, whose wide experience makes his
: opinion well worth considering:
: "Shyness is as much disease a. scar.
: let fever. tbs recognized as symptom
Of dementia or melancholia. just as an
: extremely strong willed person, or one
g who is what is termed unusually sell
4 assertive, is regarded by physicians as
possible subject for acute paresis.
"This shyness takes various forms,
p such a. q sudden feeling Of faintnes'
and weakness ON looking down from
any extreme height It is present wher
!. . woman persists in looking under the
= bed before retiring although she knows
!. full we'll that there is no man there.
;. know of one case Of woman who
e when she turns cut the gas, invariably
q lights q match to see IL she has turne,
il completely off. aud nine times out o
Il ten she lights another match 10 see i
" she threw the first match into the Goa
:, scuttle or fireplace. That is another form
/ of what may be- termed shyness.
"This shyness is due to variety o
D causes. II il very often the case that
= system which is run down leads to thi
I condition OF mind. The continual think
ing upon any subject, or what Is termed
brooding over q certain thing, leads t
r this If not checked in time, melan
n cholia results.
It. "This shyness is as common to mel
ID, a. to women. Some men seem embar
nd raised and i'll at ease when in the pres
ence Of women, while. ON the othe
II hand, it is often noticed that the pres
ence OF gentlemen makes some wome
very i'll at ease. only, in justice to tn
sex, 1t must be- stated that this YER
rarely happens.
There are many reasons for thes
= facts. but the most common one Is II
health. Should a person 30 troubled 3
20 a physician. he or she would be re
garded as possessing symptoms indica'
ing lack Of will power and approach
Ing insanity in some form. There ar
waves of morbid shyness. just ~ ther
are waves Of insanity. There are wave
I'd Of certain kinds Of suicide, resultin
ho from insanity. There are waves {
bridge jumping, killing with razors {
lts knives. shooting and death by poison.
all MANY suicides arc due to Temporary
he insanity. brought ON by . variety
- causes One Of the first symptoms
ms shyness. Persons afflicted with tn
shyness never take up any Of the science
or professions or become studenta The
!. lack the will power necessary to do q
Where the normal mind Of man owe
70 comes difficulties and troubles whe
~ they come. the shy, retiring man seel
III relief in suicide"
MI IT. neuIy Ohinpueii, WIN - tno Pn.
/ stefan in charge Of the Northwest Lo
don hospital. says that morbid shyne
IL, like other mental disorders, an exa
geration Of an unnatural physical stat
!. II Ia among women, he declares. tn
this symptom Of mental disorder is me
often seen. Lacking the physical strerg
> Of man in most instances, they are q
able to Withstand the depression tn
sonnet lines seizes them. That depressi
En- gives birth To desire to be unobserve
Here il the beginning Of the Ht OF Oh
ness which results in unbalancing :
mind and creating the idea that
very sight Of others 10 an affection to
avoided.
NO. Several New York doctors who d
cussed the question ut length said Il
they had noticed particularly amo
young women whom they had been o.
ed upon to see that those who had
"A. hibited the greatest embarrassment
- Iur