A NEW MANIA.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 3496, 19 June 1884, Page 3

A NEW MANIA.

A painful idiosyncrasy is thus alluded to by the “ London Globe Among the curions maladies which advancing civilisation seems destined to bring in its train, not the least remarkable is that on which Parisian doctors are bestowing a good deal of attention just now—the obliquity of mind which has been called peur des espaces, The sufferer is usually a man in apparently good health, and is affected by no premonitory symptoms, although on the other hand, there are cases where the malady results from other diseases, and is introduced by a feeling of weakness and sickness. It generally comes on suddenly, when the patient arrives at a particular place or is brought into the presence of a particular person. He then is perceived to be in mortal terror without any apparent cause. The earth seems to him to open into a chasm before his feet or he finds himself isolated by an immense and impenetrable space from the rest of the world. If he is on the pavement he dares not for his life step on to the roadway, but stands stock still to be jeered at by the street boys. It he is on a step, he is afraid to move up or down for fear of being dashed to pieces in some imaginary abyss. All this time he keeps his wits — or at least a great many of them—about him, and he is sensible of his absurd position. Sometimes he has sense enough to avoid places where the attack has come on before, or seems likely to do so again. Another peculiarity is that most of the sufferers belong to the liberal professions and to the higher ranks of society. By examination into a considerable number of cases in the hospitals, it was found that more men suffered than women, in a proportion of about four to one.