Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-12-08
FEAR AS A MALADY.
Physicians Now Recognize Many and
Strange Phobias.

Physicians Now Recognize many ano
Strange Phobias.
Fear as a disease had not received
serious attention until recent years,
Now it is recognized by the medical
profession that there is a whole list OF
phobias, as they are called. which are
quite distinct from a normal and le-
gitimate condition Of fear due to some
natural cause.
Thus there is the fear Of open or
closed places, says the Medical Rec
ord fear of high places, fear OF men
or women, fear Of crowds or Of soli-
tudes, fear of animals, fear Of In
sects. fear of darkness, fear OF acci-
dents. fear OF fire, fear Of travel and.
in fact, fear Of anything.
There is no end to the absurdity or
acts which may be occasioned by
these persistent ideas of fear. Those
that possess the fear Of riding on a
train find no pleasure In travelling;
those that have fear Of closed places
do not enjoy going to church, and
generally always sit near the door,
ready to fly at the first sign OF dan
ger.
Various fears may also develop In
lconnection with the occupation OF the
patient-for instance, BARRIERS some
times suffer these attacks whenever
they see a razor, or telegraphers when
they catch sight Of their instruments,
which finally pecessitates giving up
/ the occupation.
Among women, especially, there oc-
ours the fear Of dirt, contagion or In
fection. The countless bacteria al
ways present in the air are the chief
source Of annoyance. The patients
are always complaining Of bad air and
are always throwing open the win
dows. Books are especially avoided
as a possible source Of contagion. In
patients with fear Of injury they will
throw away all needles In the house
or they will no more wash windows
for fear that the glass might break
and cut them.
The intellect in these cases is not
only undisturbed, but may be un-
usually good. Patients exhipit
throughout a pronounced feeling or
mental illness and frequently clear
insight into the morbidity Of the indi-
vidual symptoms
The more common of the various
phobia, as classified by the board, are
as follows: Claustrophobia, fear OF
narrow or closed places; agoraphobia.
Of being alone; pathophobia, fear OF
disease; mysophobia, fear Of contami-
nation; siderodromophobia, fear OF
railroad travel; acrophobia, fear Of
being at a height or looking over
precipices: thanatophobia, fear OF
death.
| Other fears, such as the fear Of rid
ing in a buggy after having been In a
runaway, or the fear Of voyage at
sea or railway after frightful ship
wreck or railway accident, rs more
or less natural or reasonable fear. as
the fear of hoodoos and ghosts Is
among the superstitious or those ac-
customed to ghost stories and tradi-
ton of goblin visitation, etc.
These fears do not require warped
brain for their lodgment, though the
weakened brain may be more vividly
impressed by them. To be regarded as
symptoms of disease these fears must
be groundless so far as influences ex-
ternal to the brain are concerned
They must proceed from morbid
state Of the brain and not from prop
erly exciting external causes. They
must be fears peculiar to the individ-
ual under peculiar circumstances Of
cerebral disturbance and not fear
common to others and due to causes
that naturally cause alarm and fright
len.