The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-08-22
as LOVE A DisEAsEr
Problem That Is Causing an Epidemic
Of Debate Anono Physicians.

os Debate Among Physicians.
Engllshmen are proverbial for their
sober judgment of things, and the
London lancet is probably the ablest
and most conservative medical Jour-
nal in England. It will strike most
people, therefore, as somewhat aston
ishing that several London newspa-
pers, including The Lancet, have been
engaged for some time past in grave
" discussing the question whether the
we Of the sexes is a disease.
J The discussion has taken q wide
range including history Of the theory.
and The Lancet, in a learned article
on the subject, contends that II has
been held from the remotest antiquity
that love is a disease and that this be-
lief finds expression in all the Greek
and Roman classics. A contributor to
me same journal marsnals in It's cup
port all the medical authorities from
Galen to Horaiussand even the paint
ers of the seventeenth century. who
delighted in portraying love sickness
as an anaemic young woman.
4 The reason for these disputants has
not yet reached us. but 1t Is easy to
surmise what some Of It would be.
There can be no question that the
passion of love bears strong resem
blance to the abnormal condition
known as hypnosis. This is to say, Il
is founded in delusion.
The salient features of hypnosis are
a temporary suspension of ones nat.
ural taste and Judgment, which makes
him a phenomenon and a laughing
stock to other people, and which a
succeeded by feeling Of shame, and
embarrassment; and this is word for
word descriptive of the love Of the
sexes. Love covers up all defects, in.
cluding those which tho subject, in a
sane state of mind, detosts; It creates
galaxy Of virtues in It's object which
never had any existence; it is highly
amusing to sane people who observe
It: II Is certain to pass away, though
sooner in some cases than others, and
when It has passed away it leaves the
subject wholly unable to account for
the deluslon and greatly distressed at
the indiscretlons to which II has led.
: The aptness of love to mislead a per
!, son in the selection of a mate is an
!. old theme. That delicious satirist
Josh Billings, wrote: "It has been
said that love is blind but there is a
young man Of my acquaintance who
can see more in his girl than can"
Accordingly, writer's who are not hum
orous tell us that the majority of mar
ried people while thinking well of mat
. rimony, feel that as for them they
: made unwise selections OF mates and
4 In fact selected those who we're the
exact opposites Of what they needed
to make homo happy
On the other hand, there are cogeni
reasons for repudlatng the theory
that love is disease. It certainly
does not stand connected with Other
diseases. No other disease leads tC
It, flows from it,or is associated viii
!, It. People who are paragons OF ohys
ical and mental soundness yield to it,
influence The idea Of the seventeenth
century painters that lovers are anae
mic can only be taken as joke.
It Is obvious that love is an integra
A feature of human nature designed 4
promote mating and prevent a hum
drum and selfish mode of existence.
In any race or community the low
Of the sexes is the exact measure o
- civilization, because without 4 rher
\ could not be a virtuous home. II
should disappear there would dlsaE
pear with it the drama, the novel, tn
poem, and almost the entire romanti
and spiritual elements of life
| Whether love is a disease or not,
is a blessing and It is safe to say tha
It has come to stay.-ChicagO Chron
Gle.