Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-03-05
SHYNESS rs SERIOUS

SHYNESS is SERIOUS
MEDICAL EXPERTS SAY IT u A svlap-
TON OF MELANcHouA
It Takes vas1sus IseDa but u InvnEaIAly
. Eossrunnsr q DsmauHan-A DoDsnss
That GAsslA H Casssally Tssa1sa h
fins-AAscGs l[sa - Wen - Wsnsn.
At Last it he's bsen discovered that the
reason the girl who seems exoeedingly
shy acts in the fashion she does Il that
she 10 demented.
This II tho result Of extenafve investi-
Cation By insanity experts On both sides
Of the water. Exceptional baahfulness,
- IL il called, 10 really shynesa II ID Q
morbid condition Of the mind, . certain
sort Of dementiA
Often il the expression heard that Z
person il painfully shy. Yet in such IN
instance NO doubt has been raised % 10
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
- much IL not more, than many per.
sons who are living out Q tortured exist
ence within the walls Of . madhouse
It IL . we'll known fact that one Of
the most notable symptoms Of insanity
Is that which causes the person AFFLICTED
to shun the company Of others. Loueli-
ness is an incentive to insanity. Con-
finement in . solitary cell in . prison
often breeds madness It il altogether
an unnatural mental condition which
impels q person to avoid the society Of
humanity. No one whose condition il
normal ever consents to such an exist.
ence.
just how the insanity expert looks Al
shyness is shown BY the following state.
ment, made by Or. g. W. Kunz Of New
York, whose wide experience makes his
opinion well worth considering:
"Shyness is as much disease a. scar.
let fever. It is recognized as q symptom
Of dementia or melancholia, just a. IN
extremely strong willed person, or one
who is what is termed unusually sell
assertive. is regarded BY physicians Is q
possible subject for acute paresis.
"This shyness takes various forms,
such as q sudden feeling of faintness
and weakness on looking down from
any extreme height. It il present when
q 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 q woman who,
when she turns out the gas, invariably
lights q match to see if she has turned
it completely of, and nine times out Of
ten she lights another match to see il
she threw the first match into the coal
souttle or fireplace. That is another form
Of what may be termed shyness.
''This shyness is due to a variety Of
causes. 1t is very often the case that q
system which is run down leads to this
condition Of mind. The continual think.
ing upon any subject, or what is termed
brooding over certain thing, leads to
this. IF not checked in time, nolan.
Cholia results.
"This shyness is as common to men
as to women. Some men seem embar.
raised and i'll at ease when in the pres.
ence Of women, while. on the other
hand, it is often noticed that the pres.
ence Of gentlemen makes some women
very ill at ease. only, in justice to the
sex, it must be stated that this very
rarely happens.
There are many reasons for these
facts, but the most common one is i'll
health. Should . person 90 troubled go
m a s,hvosc;ou ho ~ .ho ,ro,IS - -
garded AZ possessing symptoms indioat.
ing lack Of will power and approach
ing insanity in some form. There are
waves OF morbid shyness, just as there
are waves Of insanity. There are waves
OF certain kinds Of suicide, resulting
from insanity. There are waves Of
bridge jumping, killing with razors OF
knives, shooting and death by poison.
MANY suicides arc due to temporary
insanity. brought ON by q variety Of
oauseA' One Of the first symptoms is
shynesa Persons afflicted with this
shyness never take mp any of the sciences
or professions or become students. They
lack the will power necessary to do so.
Where the normal mind of man over.
comes difficulties and troubles when
they come. the shy, retiring man seeks
relief in suicide. %
Dr.. Henry Campbell. who is the ply
sic1an in charge Of the Northwest Lon.
don hospital. says that morbid shyness
,s, like other mental disorders, an exag.
geras,on OF an unnatural physical state.
IL Is among women, he declares, that
TINS symptom Of mental disorder in mont
oiten seen. Lacking the physical strength
OF man In most instances, they are I'M.
able 70 Withstand the depression that
sometimes seizes them. That depression
gives birth to desire to be unobserved.
Here Is the beginning Of the at of shy.
meas which results in unbalancing the
mind and creating the idea that the
very sight Of others il IN affliction to be
avoided.
~