The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-04-05
IS MODERN A|LMENT
LOVE FOR CATS AND DOGS DE.
NOTES A ZooPHlLE.
That Is, II a Woman Loses Sleep Over
Her Pets-Present Method of Liv-
ing Too Strenuous for Certain
Mental Organisms.

distinguished authority on mental and
nervous diseases, has contributed to
current medical literature al article on
''rhe Zoophil-Psyehosis."
| He describes this worriment as a
| modern ailment and gives illustrative
cases.
| In his introduction DR.. Dana sepa-
| rates psycho-neurotic ailments into
three groups: Neurasthenia, hysteria
and psychasthenia, or obsesSiye psy-
| Ghosts.
He describes these states briefly as
| follows:
I'm neurasthenia there is a local
or general but genuine weakness of
the psychic and nervous functions.
In hysteria there is pathological
| activity of the subconscious mind, so
that morbid bodily and mental phc-
| nomena result.
In psychasthenia there is a morbid
activity of the conscious mind, which
produces disordered mental and bod
lily states. but there is no serious loss
of control in the relation of the vic
tim TO his environment. so II is not
an insanity in its usual sense
DIR. Dana then proceeds to enlarge
upon psychasthenia or obsessive psy-
Ghosts and its significance.
"This psychasthenia or obsessive
psychosis," he says, has been most
actively studied in recent years, for
it seems to be the disease of our civ
ilization-a kind OF occupation-psy-
Ghosts of modern life. 1t is not hys-
terra. though hysteria and it are often
united II is not eurasthenia, though
this is almost always associated with
it at its beginning, at least.
Modern activities are too strenu-
Gus for this kind of mental organism.
which is meant for life of simplicity,
moderation and restraint. The pres
ent popular absorbent method of edu-
cation. which leaves the mind to follow
its interests and take the line OF least
resistance is a potent factor in the
pathogenesis. For through it the pow
er of inhibition becomes weakened or
lost, and the mental life is approx |
mated TO the conditions OF living"
Here are some instances to show
more correctly what the writer means, |
and. as he says, ito prove at once
that the condition is most real"
The history is given of a woman
who became obsessed with remorse be- |
cause she had given away her cat
and the animal had later died. She |
had the usual train of symptoms go
ing with the obsession; Defect OF at |
tention, brooding, inability to work,
and insomnia.
She had another symptom almost |
as bad as the despair-viz.: an impos-
sible love of animals pushed to the de-
gree of disease, zoophile. She was
always surrounded by four cats. which
she loved and looked after more than
her children. She lost a child
and did not much mind it. She lost
a cat and was melancholy for eight
months.
A man, aged 35, married, no chill
dren, came 10 me suffering from gen.
eral neurasthenia symptoms. He al.
ways had been careful of the comfort |
Of animals and disliked to see them
badly treated in the slightest degree;
this was especially so of horses. He
did not care so much about the dogs.
His concern for horses, originally a
natural and humane one grew on him
as his health failed; so that he finally |
gave up keeping them or using them,
because their possible discomforts wor.
ried him SO much.
"A little trouble with his horse
would keep him awake nights. He
came 10 the city but now the horses OF
ether people bothered him. 1t gave
him real suffering to see horse
checked up or whipped, or locked or
driven fast.
so far as the zoophil-psychosis is
it shows itself both in
fixed and tormenting ideas and in an
emotional hypertrophy which carries a
naturally noble sentiment to the point
Of disease. With both states there
are morbid fears and worries.
1T happens that many people can.
not nowadays go out into city's
streets and not be distressed contin.
ually at the sight Of tired. overworked
and badly driven horses. or of some !,
hin looking and ungroomed dogs
They are so eager TO observe the I'M
happy horse that they do not see the
human suffering. / confess that after
20 years Of experience with cab driv-
ing in this city | have grown sympa-
thetic to the driver more than to the
horse, for on the whole the driver is
good to his horse, and has a harder
lot"
Thou shalt not ill-behave toward thy
garbage man nor thy janitor or thou
halt suffer cpralV