The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-04-07
. Queer Form Of Insanity to Which the
Natives are Sometimes Subject.

Much attention has been called to
the number of men in the army serv-
Ing In the Philippines who have gone
insane. The government has sent a
special commission out there to inves-
tlgate the matter, and there has been
talk Of a mysterious disease called the
Soudanese Fever" 1t is believed by
some that this disease is peculiar to
East Indian and African tropics; that
1T was this which caused DR.. Peters to
get into trouble for killing Africans,
and made the French officers in the in
terror of Africa recently STAY other
officers sent to their relief, is one theo-
ry. Everybody has heard of the Malay
who runs amuck and, frenzied, kills
right and left until he himself is kill
ed. The word 'amuck'' is a corruption
OF the Javanese word "amoak," to
kill. There seems to be no doubt that
the Malay occasionally goes crazy
through the overindulgence in opium
or hasheesh and, springing from his
"shack," runs through the streets Of
his village, killing all whom he may
meet. When in a Malay village the
cry "Amuck" is raised, it is like the
cry of Mad dog!" in an American viii
lage, and the populace turn out with
long bamboo spears and kill the man
as soon as they can. But the "Soudan-
ese fever" If it exists, is another thing
apparently 1t may be that the dis
ease which has afflicted white men in
the Philippines and in equatorial AZ
RIGA, is only a variation of apoplexy,
brought on by indulgence in heating
and stimulating foods.
DR.. Louis Livingston Seaman, who
has visited the Philippines, and was
with General Bates when the general
made his treaty with the Sultan Of
Sulu. is inclined to doubt the existence
of any such thing as the 'Soudanese
Fever" He says: II believe the army
ration is the cause of the spread Of
insanity among our troops serving in
the Philippines. The ration is perfect
~ unscientif1c. It might do well for
temperate o. arctic climates. but to
feed men on SO much heating food as
is given to the soldiers out there is
absurd.
I'VE hear a great deal about natives
of the Philippines running amuck, es-
pecially those who live on the Sulu
islands. l do not believe that those
wild outbreaks of murderous passion
are brought about by any peculia:
physical disease. 1t is religious frenzy,
usually fostered for political reasons,
which causes the natives to run amuck.
l investigated the subject somewhat
whileI was in the Sulu islands, where
the natives have been given mos. to
this sort Of thing, and found that in
every case which l could come at the
murderous insanity of the men had
been produced deliberately. When q
native Official of the Mahometan tribes
in the Philippines wishes to work woe
to an enemy he gets together som re-
ligious enthusiasts AMI has a sort of
revival meeting. With promises of
v wives in the seventh heaven and
like Inducements. and with most artful
Indictment OF the religious feeling of
the men he has selected, he gets his
chosen ones into a state in which they
freely Oho1 tAcAAoCAVSo AOI Suo SdCF1uC0
to kill until they themselves are
killed. As soon az a man declares
that he is ready a stout leather thong
Is tied about his person in such a man
ner that every step causes him excru-
ciating agony. Then his crease, or
crooked sword, is given to him, and
he is turned loose. Driven frantic by
the pain which his every movement
: causes. he rushes on, killing al he
goes. There used to be q lot of this
sort of thing in the Sulu islands when
the spaniards were there, but when the
Americans took charge the sultan and
his Datos were given to understand
that such customs were not looked up