The sun., 1908-12-20
SUFFRAGETTEM MALADYFOUND
LONDON DOCTOR SAYS THEY
M HAVE TAR-tNTISM.
Br sees In Their DOings the Recurrence
Of Medl@yai Epidemlo OF ~. WtuS'S
Dance Gold Baths Good Cure for
II old Age Pension Law Abausdities.
,Special cabt psspaich 10 TIM sun.

LONDON. Dec 19.--Science has hur.ed a
,errih,e epithot against the suffragettos
pr A + Shipe ey. the eminent zoo,ogist
n Cambridge in a letter in to-day's
,,p,es afiirms that their behavior indi.
catos a revival of the peculiar mental
disorder known in the Middle Ages as
tarantism. rf
Or. Ship!ey has made careful study
Of curious diseases. chiefly oonfined to
the fema sex. which spread throughout
EUROPE such as st. Vituss dance, which 10
named after Sici!iNn youth who suffered
martyrdom under Dioo.etian in the year
9n3 and tarantism. which was widespread
from the fourteenth to the sixteenth
century. He makes his cruel scientific
analogy in these terms: st
From an account OF the meeting at
Albert Hall on December under the
presidency Of Lady McLaren / am inclined
10 think that we are witnessing revival
Of those recondite mental disorders which
afflicted so many Western countries 500
Years ago. In more severe cases there
we're howlings, screenings and jumpinge
and the patients affected, although they
had not complete control over. their
understandings. yet we-e sufficiently COM
posed to obey the directions they had
received.
The persistent. monotonous and
rhythmical utterance Of word or OF a
short sentence and the abandonment of
se!f-control were equally characteristic
Of the distemper. Parace. sus, who dealt
learnedly on the treatment, recommended
that the patient should be deprived OF
her liberty, placed in solitary confinement
and made to sit in uncomfortable places.
He attempted to allay the excitement of
the nerves by immersion in cod water
1t is not without Significance. with
reference to the organ recital which appa-
rently took place in the intervals between
the attempts Of Mr.. Lloyd-George. the
Chancellor Of the Exchelue-, to speak,
that the patients are violently affected by
music, and their paroxysms are brought
on and increased by it,. 1t is character
istic Of these manias that they attack
women more readily than men. although
some men are. capable of being affected
at any rate.
The marked preference that the
patients of tarantism show for certain
feature which leads me to connect the
present disorder with the frenzies Of the
Middle Ages. Tarantism was at its
greatest height in the seventeenth CEN
tury, long after the st. Vitus's dance OF
northern Europe had disappeared. The
present trouble may be the third marked
outbreak in comparatively modern
times,
In conclusion it may be worth men
toning that it used to make a good deal
OF difference to a patient under which
name his disease was classed. Those who
suffered from the disorder dedicated to
SO holy a martyr as st. 'Vitus received
every consideration, whereas the victims
Of tarantism were by no means 30 well
treated" 5000. .......--.....
Dr. Shipley writes in no spirit OF levity.
but there is a horrible fear among the
militant suffragettes to-day lest his dis
auisition may saddle them with the
awful sobriquet Of -Tarantulas.' To-
morrow they will claim public attention
once more by holding a mock funeral
in Trafalgar Square over the woman's
parliamentary suffrage bill. which auto
naticaIly ceases to exist as pending
measure with to-day's adjournment Of
Parliament. The bill, converted into a
doll. will be drawn In a sham hearse in
aprocession to the square, Ehere speeches
will be made over it, Then it will be
cremated at the rooms OF the Freedom
League.
The suffragette campaign. il it has
accomplished nothing else, has secured
a complete revision OF the rules for the
admission OF strangers TO the House OF
Commons. A special committee has sub
mitted long report which will probably
be adopted at the next session. The
principal change provides for the ad-
mission of women with male escorts to
the Strangers Gallery on the application
Of members. Theoretically, no woman
has ever been admitted to the House OF
Commons, hence the maintenance Of the
grille in front OF the Ladies' Gallery. The
law also proposes making any disturbance
Of the proceedings police court offence.
CuLIINAN DIAMOND PAY.
The highest authority is claimed for a
statement in the Liverpool Post that no
funds are forthcoming to pay for the
cutting of the Cullunan diamond which
was presented TO King Edward some time
ago. The Treasury officials declare that
they have no power to give grant for
this purpose; the King declines to pay
the expense out of his privy purse. and
the cutter at present sees little prospect
Of getting his money. Meanwhile. for
some $4,000. a diamond cut from the
CuIlinan can be obtained by any one who
cares TO pay for 1t.
WHISTLER MEMORIAL.
The Whistler Memorial committee has
called upsa England to subscribe an ed-
ditional 81. 900 toward the COST OF a second
replica of the Chelsea memorial. which
is now in Robins studio and which will
be tribute TO France from England. In
the course of a message on the subject.
Rodin said The work Of Whistler is
one Of the first manifestations Of American
art
STUDENTS ENTERTAINED.
The American circle Of the Lyceum
Club entertained at luncheon yesteroai
nine American Rhodes scholars and alsc
Miss Howard OF Columbia, the first womai.
who is studying in England under tbs
auspices of the Society Of American
Women in London. The scholarship WIFE
founded by Mrs. Thayer on the lines OF
The Rhodes scholarships for young men.
ouraInN