HAUNTED BY NUMBERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15646, 27 June 1914, Page 2 (Supplement)

HAUNTED BY NUMBERS.

YOUNG FRENCHMAN'S AFFLICTION.

Is Paris the peculiar case of a man haunted by numbers is engaging the attention of French mental scientists, Ho is a Parisian gendarme named Costy.

; Costy when young acquired the habit of counting things. He counted buttons on people's coats, cracks in the side-walk, the number of words used by people who spoke to him and, Anally, even the number of letters in the words, until now he has become a liopeless "arithmomaniac." Costy no longer understands what is said to him, but lie.can tell the moment anyone has finished speaking the exact number of letters employed in the words addressed to him. " How are you?" "Nine," answers Costy, and then if by chance he remembers, the meaning of what you said he will make a second reply that he is a very unhappy man. Costy complained to his superiors of his affliction and asked to be placed in the hands of mental specialists, for he could no longer attend to bis duties. Instead of regulating traffic he counted it and in place of answering inquiries he told'them making them the number of letters they used. Costy's. superior granted bis request, and he is now the subject of a long report. " Psychologists explain that Costy's iiarithmomania" , completely changed the direction of bis mind, his first seflex be-ing-now to count instead of comprehension. He can no longer rest because of the numbers dancing in bis head, nor sleep without being haunted by them in his dreams; s: Efforts will be made to hypnotise Costy, back into a normal state.