Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-07-04
ABOUT THE FEAR OF CATS "
PHYSICIAN FINDS 1T uNExPLAlN-
ED IN MANY PERSONS.
Queer Results Of Inquiry by Or. S.
weir Mitchell-Sight of Cats Leads
to LockIaw, Mysteries, Temporary
Blindness and Dreams.

to Locklaw, Mysteries, Temporary
Blindness and Dreams.
AT a recent gathering Of physicians
in Washington DR.. S. Weir Mitchell
delivered an address on THE Fear
OF Cats" The address was not made
public at the time. but was given out
at Philadelphia DR.. Mitchell said in
part:
Three years ago I was consulted
in the case of an hysterical young
woman in whom the fear of cats mad
become an obsession. She declared
she could always detect the presence
OF an unseen and unheard cat l saw
her three times, and on each occa-
sion she said there was a cat in the
room. 1t was true Of her first visit,
although she could not have seen
it. 1t was untrue of her two later
visits, but each time she exhibited
the same fear the usual mild hysteri-
cal manifestations.
"A second case was, I felt sure, an
exhibition Of real capacity to know
when the unseen and unheard cat
was present. 1t came to my krowl-
edge later.
In order to collect material for
study l asked through American
Medicine answers to the following:
"A.-Have you any antipathy to
cats? Are you subject to unusual
feelings or symptoms in the presence
of a cat? What are these? Does
the presence of tiger in a 1nena-
gerie affect you as do cats? Can you
account for your cat fear by anything
| obvious, as, for example, any incident
of childhood? At what age did you
first discover your popularity as to
cats?
when it is not in sight or know to
be near? If yes, give the evidence,
"B.-Are you surely aware of a cat
your own and that of others, as to
the fact. What feelings or symptoms
make you sure of the cats presence?
Is it cat odor? How long have you
had this popularity?
my research brought to me indis-
putable evidence concerning a large
number of people in whom the pres
! ence Of cat gives rise to variety
| of symptoms. In persons suffering
from asthma it is slower aI.d cumu-
latiye, and may not be felt AT all for
| twenty or more minutes.
Certain persons on seeing a cat
have other symptoms, with or with.
out oppression of breathing. There
may be only fear, terror, disgust
There may be added chilly sensa-
tons, horripilation, weakness, locked
jaw, or, as in one case, fixed open
jaw, rigidity of arms, pallor nausea
rarely vomiting, pronounced hysteri
| cal commissions, and even temporary
blindness. These pass away with the
removal of the cat, but in a few ex,
amples leave the sufferer nervOusly
! disturbed for the day. Two report
themselves as apt to have Dreams OF
what one of them calls cat mares.
Five persons, three being women
are alarmed in the presence Of great
| VI N0tos SdSCu blSGAo VI AIO1lS. ~ SOL
der of distinction, much given when
younger to tiger hunting, is undis
turbed by these great felines, but ter
rified by tame cat.
''At least a fourth of my cases OF
cat terror in grave forms speak OF
it as a family popularity. Five in a
family of seven had it. In another
case the maternal grandfather. two
great-aunts, an uncle, and a sister
We're all thus troubled. Sex appears
to have no marked influence, but ex
Il me symptoms are more frequent
in women.
After careful study 1 reached the
| conclusion that as concerns thirty
one persons had evidence enough tc
make me sure they could tell when
a cat was near, although it was
neither seen nor heard.
"On study of those who, at sight
of cats have fear horror, and in
varying degrees emotional disturb
ances and distinct physical symp
toms, and those whom unseen cats
affect, we observe that the same
symptomatic expressions attend both
groups. New York Times.