The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

K xUNICH, September 1s.-tspecial)
MI people with passion Tor NloieV
lVl clothing are three-quarters MADE
This ID the discovery of the dlstinguisheu
mental alienist, DR.. Bernard Hoiz' anu "S
- ,,ao,ed Inv other investigators. Gener-
~. ~ declares that fashion and clothes
have the directest influence on INSANITY
mr. Rudolf Forester of Berlin has peeh
investieatin gthe same subject ana ne mas
iust nublished a book on THE connection
of Professions and Fashions with Meh'ai
D;saase DR.. Forester says that 1t Is
sign of progressive paralysis when
80, of main life takes to dressing nm
sa,s I'M like an InNer den Linden dude
- aarsa a silk hat. And DIR. Holz says
tbat IT is a sure sign of paranoia when
elderly persons show minute zeal apo'''
their clothing, and particularly when TWO
elderly members of the same family copy
one anothers garb.
"A certain proportion of lunaties, says
mr. Holz. '.probably per cent owe their
troubles to the influence of fashion, that
is to women's fashions. This does not
include the vast number upon wnom
fashion acts indirectly in an injurious
sense. for instance, to tight-laced women
who suffer from hysteria. Hysteria Is es-
senfially fashion nervous disease. Also
a does not INCLUDE thousands of Indirect
victims whose nervous systems are un-
dermined through disappointment with
their dressmallers. jealousy of other
women's clothes. inability to pay mod
istes, bills. If these cases are counted,
ffa- VII
TINS of fashion
When fashion is an indirect or contrib
utory cause of insanity, Dr.. Holz finds
that il chiefly produces functional dis
turbances of the mood, such as undue
exaltat ton, undue depression. and diseases
of the will The commonest form of in
directly caused ashon-instanity is mani
acal depression. Fashion lunacy seldom
appears early in life.
.The ereatset of all dangers for women
OF between 40 and 50 SAYS DR.. Holz. lis
too minute attention to clothing ana
10 changes of mode. When a young
woman is unreasonably keen on fashion
that may mean mental disease; but when
: woman getting on in life does so that
almost certainly means mind unbal-
anceu. OHt SlSli VI al ioil-ithoNS 10 az
entire lack of sympathetic and human
interests and fussy INSTRUMENTATION
on ones own petty, often insignificant
needs and imagined needs. This con-
centration is petty and Insignificant
when in an elderly woman it takes the
form ofedress. Women with grown-up
children, perhaps grandchildren, who per-
sist in leading fussy. worldly lives, who
think only of their complexions and their
hats, are nearly always half way towards
insanity"
With this view DR.. Foerster's book
agrees, for it notes that insane women
often collect vast quantities of useless
clothing. spend extravagantly and show
an unnatural desire TO shine in society.
The first sign of a normally healthy
Drained organism is says DR.. Holz, "a
considerable decline of interest in clothes
after one passes 30. When a woman has
passed 90 craze for clothing may mean
premature dementia senilis. A client OF
mine. the brilliant and admired Baroness
Z A., who spoke five languages and wrote
attractive verse, suddenly began at the
age Of 70 TO study fashion papers. At
first she discussed the fasions with the
brilliance which she showed for every
ether interest: and she began to design
hor own dresses. For several weeks she