The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-08-19
81 said MANAGE don't want to
manage, just want to be loved y
Euphemia Holden
LOVE ADlSEASE.

boldly proclaimed it to be such over
l8 centuries ago, and modern London
is inclined to take the same view of
the matter. For modern London,
owing to the fertile brain of an adver-
tising agent for halfpenny newspa-
per, is engaged in heated discussion
of the question. Letters from the
scene oi this wordy warfare state that
all known authorities on the subject of
the "divine passion" have been drag
ged into print.
According to one well-known doc
tor, Galen, in his voluminous medical
writings, cites the first case on record
where love was treated by physician
as recognized form of illness. This
treatment was given by Galen him
self in the second century to haugh-
ty Roman lady, wife of the patrician
Menippus AL the learned medical men
men OF the then fash;onal world failed
to alleviate her ailment and gave up
her case as incurable. Nine. Menip-
pus then, as last resort, summoned
Galen, who had recently arrived with
a glowing reputation from the schools
of Asia Minor, and he promptly dag
nosed the complaint az an attack OF
"lovesickness." Pylades, handsome
young knight, whom the woman had
seen once or twice, but did not know,
was declared to be the cause Of the
disease. The beating of the patients
pulse is given by Gslen as the only
means he had of Judging the nature Of
her affliction. He fails to state, how
ever, what remedies he recommended
other than to say that by his ''profes-
sional discretion he was able to restore
her to better state of mind" He
follows this recital with a statement
with state that Cleopatra had used
one of his cometics and found it excel
lent, thus furnishing the first "volun-
tary patent-medicine testimonial"
known to history.
"The theory that love is a disease
has the sanction of venerable antiqui-
ty." says the grave London Lancet,
which was finally drawn into the dis
cussion. "Apart from the Greek and
Roman classics, it is a commonplace
of the seventeenth century. The learn
ed German Gregorius Horstitus pub
lished long thesis in favor of the
contention in 1911, and in 1914. Lam
andus supported him in a neatly entit-
led Latin essay on The Nature Of
Love and the Cures for Love Mad
ncss.' Ten years later Ferrand in
Paris printed book on The Malady
of Love; or, Erotic Melancholy
1.-THE Dutch and Flemish painters
of the last half of the same century
found in 'lovesickness' favorite sub
ject. Some of the printlngs Of women
suffering from this disease are scien-
ti6cally accurate portrayals of the
anemic condition. Of course, none Of
these writer's and painters had as yet
suspected that there is bacillus Of
love, though Cupid's arrow, which
is as old as mythology, is certainly its
antitype."
At Gissen, in Germany, in the six
teenth century, as one English dispu-
tant pointed out, Horstius and the sa-
wants of Europe engaged in a long
dispute upon the nature of love before
large audience of the nobility and
gentry. Both sides to the discussion
admitted that the affliction was GER
tainly disease, the only question at
issue being the form it assumed.
Horstius maintained that it was pure
ly mental disorder, while one of his
opponents showed that magic was
not yet dead art but stoutly assert
ing that it was the result of "poison-
ing by love philters and charms
Still another learned doctor was sure
that love was an illness that greatly
resembled indigestion and could be
diagnosed by the irregular and height
ened beat of the pulse.
Before the Russian Japanese war
broke out to turn public attention to
some other subject British officer in
India added fresh fuel to the present
discussion by writing home list Of
symptoms of "lovesickness" agreed
upon by the ancient Hindoo> writer's.
These signs were said to be: "A
peculiar sidelong stare, a languid gait,
difficult breathing, stoppages of the
hearts action, withering of limbs, cold
shivers up and down the back, fever
and swoons." All the Indian poets
consider the appearance of drops Of
perspiration upon ike checks and
other parts of the body as one of the