The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-06-17
THE FEAR INSPIRED BY CATS.

THE FEAR INSPIRED BY CATS.
In the last number of Am erican
Medicine is an article by DIR. S. Weir
Mitchell on "Ailuraphobia and the
Power to Be Conscious of the Cat
as Near when Unseen and Unheard. !"
At the start he explains the problem
thus:
Three years ago was consulted
in regard to the case of hysterical
young woman, in whom the fear of
cats had become an obsession.
She declared that she could always
detect the presence of an unseen and
unheard cat.
''I saw her three times, and on each
occasion she said there was cat in
in the room. It was true of her first
visit, although she could not have
seen it. It was untrue of TWO later
visits, but each time she exhibited
the same fear and the usual mild hys-
terical manifestations.
"A second case was, felt sure, an
exhibition of real capacity to know
when the unseen and unheard cat
was present. It came to my knowl-
edge later"
This led him to collect evidence re-
garding the fear inspired by cats in
some persons and the ability of some
persons to detect the presence near
them of unseen and unheard cats.
The evidence was furnished by I5o
persons in America, England and
Germany. Of the results he says:
"My research brought to me in
disputable evidence concerning the
large number of people in whom
the presence of cat gives rise to
variety of symptoms. In such per-
sons the feeling caused by seeing cat
is instantaneous. In the asthma vic
Tins it is slower and cumulative and
may not be felt at all for twenty min
utes or more.
Certain persons on seeing cat
have other symptoms, with or with
out oppression of breathing. There
may be only fear, terror, disgust.
There may be added chilly sensations,
horripilation, weakness, locked jaw,
or, as in one case, fixed, open jaw,
rigidity of arms, pallor nausea, rare
ly vomiting, pronounced hysterical
convulsions and even temporary blind
ness.
"These pass away with removal of
the cat, but in few examples leave the
sufferer nervously disturbed for a day.
Two report themselves as apt to have
dreams of cats, what one of them
calls 'catmares.'
"Five persons, three being women,
are alarmed in the presence of the
greater cats, Gagged tigers or lions.
A soldier of distinction, much given
when younger to tiger hunting, is
undisturbed by those great felines,
but terrified by the tame cat.
"At least fourth of my cases of
cat terror in grave forms speak of it
as family peculiarity. Five in a
family of seven had it. In another
case a maternal grandfather, two
greataunts, an uncle and sister were
all thus troubled, and in other fani-
lies where one had it, at least one
other, brother or sister, was more or
less affected. Simple cases in fami-
lies were, however, the rule,
Sex appears to have no marked
influence, but the extreme symptoms
are more frequent in women.
Aversion to cats is we'll know to
have disturbed many historical per-
sonages and is alluded to in a well
know passage of SHAKESPEARE"
DR. Mitchell was convinced that in
thirty-one of the cases brought to
his attention persons were able to
tell when a cat was near though it
was neither seen nor heard. Four
of the thirty-one persons declared
that they detected the presence of a
cat by its odor. The twenty-seven
others declared that they did not
smell the cat.
Nevertheless DR.. Mitchell concludes
that in similar case the presence of
the cat is recognized through its
odor. He says:
''It seems to me possible that
either they smell the cat too slightly
to be able to define the odor or else
receive an olfactory impression of
which they are not conscious as being
an odor, but only in the form Of such
symptoms as the visible cat would
also evoke.
"When we seek an explanation ol
the terror inspired by cats in few
persons we are forced to fall back up
on the inherited remainders of animal
instincts of protective nature. This
veiw is, however, weakened by the
fact that in most of the worst cases OF
cat fear there is no terror in the pres
ence of the lion."
Here are some of the instances giver
by DIR. Mitchell of the fear of cats
seen or unseen:
I'm my own family an uncle wa:
the subject. My father, the late
Prof. John c. Mitchell, having plac
ed small cat in closet with sau
Ger of cream, asked Mr.. H. to come
into the room and look at some ole
books in which he would be interest
ed.
HE sat down, but in few minute.
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