The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-03-02
MEDICAL NOTES

Even among people of the greatest in
telligence and apparently sound mind
there are many who are victims of emo
tional obsessions which control their &C.
lions and thoughts beyond the power of
reason or resistance. When these men
tai alterations become known to per-
sons friends they call him. in common
language, Cracked" and are apt to
consider him as upon the border line of
insanity, perhaps truly, for they will re-
main all their lives subject to influence
over which they have no control and the
symptoms which they manifest are, as
Ball has truly said, 1.-The preface Of a
story which will never be ended' IT,
These cases Of mental instability often
form fruitful texts for writer's of fiction,
the Russians and Scandinavians being
especially fond Of portraying such SUBJ
lects. But these writer's skim over their
| SUBJECT IN superficial manner while
there are few scientific writer's who have
studied the subject thoroughly 49,. .
The victims of true morbid fear are
the prey of morbid dread, full of an
gu1sh, sudden and irresistible, which
possesses them in spite of all reason.
Hereditary nervousness, effeminate edu-
cation, social excuses and all forms of
excessive or unrestrained emotion are
among the chief causes Of morbid fear
but to enumerate all the varieties would
be an endless task. Classification even is
difficult, but among the first should be
placed phobophobia, a fear Of fear.
and pantophobia, fear of everything
Even the smallest object may cause a,
morbid fear. There is aichmophobia, for
example, fear of pointed articles, such
as needles, pins, fish bones, daggers. etc
Not an uncommon example Of this is
the case OF one who abstains from eat
ing hsh for fear Of getting fish bone
In his throat. There is agoraphobia. =.
lear, OIL open spaces or crowds. Pascal
was a notable example Of such a ner-
Yous Whirn which assumes many strange
forms. Such a person for example. can.
not cross public place, dares not stand
at window, enter theater a church
or even a railroad station Then there is
variety OF this dread known as thalas
sophob1a, fear OF the ocean, with which
lieraci1us, Nicolas and Peter the Great
We're afflicted. s. ~ - : :,
Claustrophobta is, on the contrary. a
l lea. OF closed spaces; person thus af-
Hcted, When placed in small or closed
chamber. is attacked with trembling. YER
tigo and terrible agony. The fear OF
darkness is also common In many cases.
OUT more especially in children and NAV
cause commissions. On the other hand
astrophobia, a fear Of looking upward
at the SKY, IS more rare. Bruick records
a case IN Wn1ch, strange to say a priest
was afflicted with this fear and was adj
v1sed by his physician never to venture
out of doors without an umbrella. which
ne opened when he was seized with this
fear. Another form of phobia is the
Tear Of storm of which Calligula was a
victim. Under this same head might
be placed common fear Of the weather.
especially of cold, which leads people 70
take extraordinary precautions in the
way of, clothing, and in many cases leads
to perpetual exile and expatriation in
warmer climes. RI
Mysophobia, in a mild form, p is a very
good thing to be possessed of; it is a
horror of dirt. Persons thus afflicted in
a morbid degree are continually wiping
plates, glasses AMI all their table ware;
busting chairs, sweeping carpets. brush
ing their clothes and washing their heads
with exceeding and painful attention to
details sjs.a "a
s a Nurernhe-- 81; er,r1eltng on the fact
that eleven on tie Esttaan pigs that were
found in the, markets % tlst city last year af-
hicted with t-ichiEae cazs.e from Prussia, con-
Guides sensibly that TIC -aiicy of excluding
meat from Am erica is fetish and that the
only safeguard lies II ssrefrI t-s1ection.