The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-08-05
Curious Hntipatbie$ 81 People.

noted for his indomitahie courage in war,
ignominiously fled from sprig OF rue.
The strange case of the Duke of Mus
covy, who became III whenever he looked
upon a woman, reminds one OF the patho-
logical occurrence on which Oliver Wen
dell Holmes based one OF his novels
Disagreeahle sensations arising from
the sense of touch are so common that
hardly day passes without one meeting
some individual possessing one. Velvet.
satin. silk and the skin of a peach create
the greatest aversions. although the feel
ing produced by touching russell apples
seriously affected one man.
Antipathies to animals are also frequent
II met with Napoleon. Henry III. anj
the Duke OF Schomberg were identical in
their dislike OF eats, the Duke OF Schom-
berg carrying his idiosyncrasy as far as
to refuse to pass under a signboard on
which this harmless domestic animal was
painted. The rabbit also seems to be an
obnoxious animal. causing nosebleed in
one and a cold in another. Tycho Brahe
would faint on seeing a fox. while Duke
d'Epernon was similarly affected at the
sight Of ieveret. NJ. de I.arcre gives an
account Of a brave officer who dared not
face mouse without a sword In his
hand. while the author of THE Turkish
Spy" declared that he would rather meet
lion in the desert. provided he was
armed. than feel a spider crawling on him
In the dark.
A strange case Is told OF Charles d'Es-
cara, who was bishop of Langres. Every
lunar eclipse he would become unconscious
and remain in that condition until the
eclipse was over 1t was during one Of
these states OF insensibiiity that he diec.
The sense OF sight IL often affected in
a like disagreeable manner. yladislaus,
king OF Poland. and Chesne, secretary TO
Francis l.. had strong antipathies to APP
pies, the latter suffering from nosebleed
at the mere sight OF one. This. however,
seems hardly as strange as the instance Of
young lady who became unconscious
whenever she saw uniform. Pennaat,
the eminent traveller. had a great aver
sion to wigs. On one occasion he was so
overcome by his feeling of dislike at the
sight OF the mayor of Chestef's wig that
he rushed at the innocent magistrate, pull,
ed off his wig and ran down the street
triumphantly waving his trophy above his
head. and challenging its owner to recover
II again. The race was afterward known
as 'The Mayor ana Mr. Pennant's Tour
Through Chester" 1t is a well known fac.
that King James I. never overcame his
dread Of cold steel. Sir Kenelm Digby
used to say that he was nearly wounded
at Hinchinbrooke. where he was knighted.
because the king turned away his face
during the trying ceremony. and conse-
quently missed his Aim.
Sounds also are the causes OF many en-
tipathies. La Mothe de vayer could net
endure musical instruments while La
MARITIME was horror stricken IL Delphine
Gay laughed. Hippocrates mentions a
Nicanor who swooned at the sound OF
flute. while Augustus and Caligula forgot
all about their dignity when thunder WAS
heard. Boyle tells us Of a servant who
never failed to bleed when a knife was
sharpened or brown paper torn Boyle
himself. with all his philosophy, was rot
proof against the sound OF running water
while Peter the Great Seems to have suf-
fered from the same cause since he could
not cross a bridge unless the windows OF
his carriage we're closed. John Roll. OF
Alcantera. would swoon on hearing tn,
word lana" (wooD. John Pechmann, a
learned divine. never heard the floor swept
without feeling as if he were sufYocated,
and an old account tells OF an Engishman
who tainted whenever he heard the ffty-
third chapter Of Isaiah read aloud.
One need only read through the poets
to find number of aptipathies which