The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-02
Scientists Seek Cure For Ab-
 normal Mental Condition Caused By Chronic Oddities

NEW YORK, Dec. Most of us laugt at the man who shudders when a black cat crosses his path, and smile broadly at the one who avoids walking under ladder. The man who does not play golf usually laughs at the one who does, and d large share of humanity has pet habits which seem funny to every body except their owners. Ordi- narily these habits and hobbies are put down as superstitions or Just an odd turn of the mind. It is sur prising to learn that such things often are an indication of neurosis, an abnormal mental state halfway between the sane and the insane.
 The recognition and explanation of these symptoms is an unusual study in science conducted by Dr. Alex ander Goldenweiser, former lecturer on anthropology at Columbia univer- sity, and now a member of the fac ulty of the New School for Social Research. Under the experienced eye of the psychologist, according to Professer Goldenweiser, many man betrays an Upset psychic condition by traits and habits which otherwise might be considered peculiarities. But the purpose of psychological re- search and the investigator as well does not stop short at the mere un- covering of such frailties, because It is the goal of both the science and the scientist to correct these ills ot the mind, made evident despite them selves. .-
 When some men enter their or- fees in the morning." said Dr. Col denweiser, they begin the day by fussing with everything on their desks The inkstand must be in a certain spot, the telephone in anoth- CT, the pin tray in an accustomed place, the paperweight adjusted eX- actly to their liking. They even will pull down the window shade to point fixed in their minds almost with geometrical precision.
 May Become Obsession.
 "All of these things we call habits. If unduly indulged they may become such an established part of life as to constitute an obsession. When h person permits this habit of regu- larity to interfere with his mental process he is in a fair way toward mild neLrosis. In the second phase, when his habits develop into pro- nounced idiosyncrasies, he reaches the point where he cannot concen- trate without having these details at . tended to in the customary way.
 "In this phase he Is likely t"
 uncomfortable if the waste basket = a he stops to fix that innocent h it will annoy ham so much in his state of mind that he will be unable to put all of his faculties on the work before him.
 Tn the third phase man suffer ing from this psychic derangement not only will have his mind unset tied by a change in trivial habits, but actually will be unable to work II his waste basket is missing or hls nkstand has gone astray. He will be likely to have his attention fastened on some one object such as the bas- ket, and every time he enters the of- flee his attention will turn toward that basket before anything else And when he reaches that point he is thoroughly neurotic. These cases are not so infrequent as might be imagined They can be treated ana corrected" I
 old Ms,ld's Neurosis.
 Dr. Goldenweiser pointed out that the same symptoms sometimes were evident in the home.
 Many of us know men and women particularly women-who will not retire until they have gone through series of accustomed habits ne said "There is the well-known ex- ample of the old maid who would De afraid to retire unless she had LOOK ed under the bed and in all of the closets for a fancied intruder. rms kind of obsession has a very posi- tive character and eXerts what Ire quently becomes an irresistible power over the mind. The woman who gbe- gins by fearing that she may tnd someone under the bed often ends with the conviction that some day