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anomalies and curiosities of medicine-第314章

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 the door below was closed。 Gelineau quotes the case of a brave young soldier who was believed to be afraid of nothing; but who was unable to sleep in a room of which the door was closed。

Astrophobia or astropaphobia is a morbid fear of being struck by lightning。 It was first recognized by Bruck of Westphalia; who knew a priest who was always in terror when on a country road with an unobstructed view of the sky; but who was reassured when he was under the shelter of trees。 He was advised by an old physician always to use an umbrella to obstruct his view of the heavens; and in this way his journeys were made tranquil。 Beard knew an old woman who had suffered all her life from astrophobia。 Her grandmother had presented the same susceptibility and the same fears。 Sometimes she could tell the approach of a storm by her nervous symptoms。 Caligula; Augustus; Henry III; and other celebrated personages; were overcome with fear during a storm。

Mysophobia is a mild form of insanity characterized by a dread of the contact of dirt。 It was named by Hammond; whose patient washed her hands innumerable times a day; so great was the fear of contamination。 These patients make the closest inspection of their toilet; their eating and drinking utensils; and all their lives are intensely worried by fear of dirt。

Hematophobia is a horror of blood; which seems to be an instinctive sentiment in civilized man; but which is unknown among savages。 When the horror is aggravated to such an extent as to cause distressing symptoms or unconsciousness; it takes the name of hematophobia。 There are many cases on record and nearly every physician has seen one or more; possibly among his colleagues。

Necrophobia and thanatophobia are allied maladies; one being the fear of dead bodies and the other the fear of death itself。

Anthropophobia is a symptom of mental disease consisting in fear of society。 Beard; Mitchell; Baillarger; and others have made observations on this disease。 The antithesis of this disease is called monophobia。 Patients are not able to remain by themselves for even the shortest length of time。 This morbid dread of being alone is sometimes so great that even the presence of an infant is an alleviation。 Gelineau cites an instance in a man of forty…five which was complicated with agoraphobia。

Bacillophobia is the result of abnormal pondering over bacteriology。 Huchard's case was in a woman of thirty…eight who; out of curiosity; had secretly read the works of Pasteur; and who seemed to take particular pleasure in conning over the causes of death in the health…reports。 Goyard mentions an instance in a Swiss veterinary surgeon。

Kleptophobia; examples of which have been cited by Cullere; is the fear of stealing objects in view; and is often the prelude of kleptomania。 The latter disease has gained notoriety in this country; and nearly every large store has agents to watch the apparently growing number of kleptomaniacs。 These unfortunate persons; not seldom from the highest classes of society; are unable to combat an intense desire to purloin articles。 Legal proceedings have been instituted against many; and specialists have been called into court to speak on this question。 Relatives and friends have been known to notify the large stores of the thieving propensities of such patients。

Le Grande du Saulle has given to the disease in which there is a morbid doubt about everything done; the name folie de doute。 Gray mentions a case in a patient who would go out of a door; close it; and then come back; uncertain as to whether he had closed it; close it again; go off a little way; again feel uncertain as to whether he had closed it properly; go back again; and so on for many times。 Hammond relates the history of a case in an intelligent man who in undressing for bed would spend an hour or two determining whether he should first take off his coat or his shoes。 In the morning he would sit for an hour with his stockings in his hands; unable to determine which he should put on first。

Syphilophobia is morbid fear of syphilis。 Lyssophobia is a fear of hydrophobia which sometimes assumes all the symptoms of the major disease; and even produces death。 Gelineau; Colin; Berillon; and others have studied cases。 In Berillon's case the patient was an artist; a woman of brunet complexion; who for six years had been tormented with the fear of becoming mad; and in whom the symptoms became so intense as to constitute pseudobydrophobia。 At their subsidence she was the victim of numerous hallucinations which almost drove her to the point of suicide。

Spermatophobia has been noticed among the ignorant; caused or increased by inspection of sensational literature; treatises on the subject of spermatorrhea; etc。 Ferre mentions a woman of thirty…six; of intense religious scruples; who was married at eighteen; and lost her husband six years afterward。 She had a proposition of marriage which she refused; and was prostrated by the humid touch of the proposer who had kissed her hand; imagining that the humidity was due to semen。 She was several times overcome by contact with men in public conveyances; her fear of contamination being so great。 Zoophobia; or dread of certain animals; has been mentioned under another chapter under the head of idiosyncrasies。 Pantophobia is a general state of fear of everything and everybody。 Phobophobia; the fear of being afraid; is another coinage of the wordmakers。 The minor 'phobias; such as pyrophobia; or fear of fire; stasophobia; or inability to arise and walk; the victims spending all their time in bed; toxicophobia or fear of poison; etc。; will be left to the reader's inspection in special works on this subject。

Demonomania is a form of madness in which a person imagines himself possessed of the devil。 Ancient records of this disease are frequent; and in this century Lapointe reports the history of demonomania in father; mother; three sons; and two daughters; the whole family; with the exception of one son; who was a soldier; being attacked。 They imagined themselves poisoned by a sorceress; saw devils; and had all sorts of hallucinations; which necessitated the confinement of the whole family in an asylum for over a month。 They continued free from the hallucinations for two years; when first the mother; and then gradually all the other members of the family; again became afflicted with demonomania and were again sent to the asylum; when; after a residence therein of five months; they were all sufficiently cured to return home。

Particular aversions may be temporary only; that is; due to an existing condition of the organism; which; though morbid; is of a transitory character。 Such; for instance; are those due to dentition; the commencement or cessation of the menstrual function; pregnancy; etc。 These cases are frequently of a serious character; and may lead to derangement of the mind。 Millington relates the history of a lady who; at the beginning of her first pregnancy; acquired an overpowering aversion to a half…breed Indian woman who was employed in the house as a servant。 Whenever this woman came near her she was at once seized with violent trembling; this ended in a few minutes with vomiting and great mental and phys
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