The San Francisco call., 1910-09-04
WISE MEN OF GOTHAM
HAVE MANY DESCENDANTS
Medical Writer Calls Them
Psychological Funny Fellows"

Discussing what he terms "patho-
logical funny Fellows a writer in the
Lancet says that it would be interest
ing to note all the Punches and Jack
Spratts Of all nations as they throw
light on racial habits and character.
He also believes. that the world holds
myriads of descendants Of the famed
Three Wise Men of Gotham.
Jack Spratt, Hans Wurst, Pickel
Herringe, who is a Dutchman, and
host of others like them are all fictive
creatures more or less noted for glut-
tony and obesity, but pathology plays
no part in their characteristics" adds
the Lancet Hans Trapp, or Drabb,
is rather sinister and John Bull not
very bright of understanding, but
neither is the victim of disease, though
John is certainly rather huge in girth.
II has been left to the modern Italians,
the compatriots of Lombroso, to evolve
Cretinetti, who figures in kinemato-
graph shows 'Foolshead.'
This creation of the modern Italian
folk mind is far from pleasant and fur
nishes food for thought. His antics
are mostly british, often malevolent,
and just such as one would expect from
a myxoedematous subject. We trust
his vogue will not spread among the
Latin nations. Nor would it be neces-
sary to mention him there were we not
satfonal stories of Italian degeneracy,
some of which were detailed in a re-
cent contribution to the Lancet on the
subject of epileptic outbreaks among
soldiers.
"Cretinetti is a species of scientific
conception, while Hans Wurst and the
rest of the northerners belong to the
realm of ancient folklore and are prob
ably descended from early Scandinavian
demigods such as 'Loki. Cretinetti be-
longs to the family of Punch, himself
an Italian, and heartless and murder
Gus hunchback in puppet shows, though
not in literature For, Punchinello.
now at any rate, shares the glamour of
the Scandinavians. and is bathed in
their aura. He has long ago outlived
his deformities. In England he is the
soul of honor. as represented In the
pages of his own journal.
The Chinese must possess some de-
lightful creatures of this kind. Here
and there are local ones, some of whom
are pathetic, almost tragic. Such
one is the Alsatian Hans i'm Schno-
geloch, Hans of the Gnat Swamp, dis
trict near Strasburg. This Hans, man
of substance and fine physique, to Judge
of him by Theophile Schuler's well
known picture, was devoured by a
spirit of discomfort, which drove him
overseas and brought him back after
shipwreck to die in poverty where be-
fore he had lived in comfort. He per-
sonifies the spirit of little nation
doomed to a restless unllappiness. The
Irish should be able to parallel him.
Hans, without doubt, had bee in his
bonnet, but we prefer him to Cretinetti
and are almost inclined to rank him
in the family of Saul of Israel.
I'm the isle of Wight, again. there
are Sal Hatch and Kit Mullett, the lat
ter a woman of weak intellect and
boundless immodesty. Every country
side, indeed, must have its Hans or it's
sal. These types attain their apotheo-
sis in the glorious Wise Men of Goth
am. whose illogicality was such as to
qualify them for lunatic asylum had
such institutions existed among our
saxon forefathers. Their descendants
name is legion