Evening star., 1935-05-23
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Otebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY

! A strange shadow neurosis''-rare
but apparently becoming more preva-
lent in America-was reported to the
American Psychiatric Associat ton
meeting here by Dr. Clarence P. Oben-
dorf of New York City.
1t is manifested as a sensation of
non-existence. The victim-most fire.
| quently woman-feels that her
shadow rather than herself is acting
| and talking. All the time she is con-
scious that she is suffering from an
hallucination. The sensation may
come in waves, in one case as many
as 40 times an hour, and is described
by the victims as being extremely
painful. 1t is. some of them say, like
being torn apart"
The victim knows she exists and yet
| feels that she does not. She may refer
| to herself rs living shadow" Dur
ing these episodes of unreality the sub
ject is more irritable than at ordinary
times and desires to be left alone. In
extreme cases such an attack may end
in loss Of consciousness and convul-
SiOnS.
Reporting on his own experience
with several patients, Dr. Obendorf
said that there is a plausible explana-
ton in the untenable tradition that in
tellectual activity is primarily mascu-
| line and that thinking is an unlady-
like occupation. In the mid-victorian
scheme of things the husband and
father attended to all the business of
the family and took all the response
bility. In really polite circles the
| women were supposed to be ornaments
and simpletons. Women were not
supposed to be as smart as men, any
how.
This idea persists only as a SUBJ
conscious emotional attitude Psyche
| logical tests have shown no difference
between the intellectual capacities OF
men and women. Women have grad
ually invaded nearly all the fields for
merly reserved for men and have sue
ceeded.
But subconsciously the woman en-
gagged in active affairs, due to the
persistence of the tradition, feels her.
self in false position and identifies
with her father or some other man
This tends to produce split in the
personality, which manifests itself In
the non-existence phenomenon.
The woman Is engaged in some ira
ditionally masculine occupation.
But" says the subconscious mind
"a woman can't think. I appear to
be thinking. I am a woman. So II
can't be that am thinking"
Thus comes the dual personality
phenomenon, which takes this queer
form of non-existence sensations.
The malady, however, is not con-
! fined to women. In the case of one
male. victim, DR.. Obendorff said, in
vestigation of the childhood back
ground showed that the mother had
been. ..the man of the family" at
tending to the business activities, while
| the father led retired life. Fate
thrust this man into commercial life
and he became the head Of large
firm with many employees. Due to his
childhood conditioning the activities
of q boss" were associated with fem
ininity. Hence they were unnatural
| for him. Essentially the same split
resulted as among the woman victims
4 X \
| Another rare and strange disease
reported to the psychiatrists was Alz-
! heimers disease-or premature anc
exaggerated second childhood"
It probably is more common than
is generally supposed, said DR.. Davit
Rothschild of the Foxborough, Mass.
State Hospital. The victim, usually q
man of middle age. goes through much
the same behavior pattern as one af'
fiicted with senile dementia, Thu
actions and talk are childish
the patient actually Is going through