Scientific American Supplement, No. 358, November 11, 1882Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 358, November 11, 1882
Various
Science -- Periodicals
In another case, a young man, a clerk in a city bank, had for several
years exhibited peculiarities in the keeping of his books. He was
exceedingly exact in his accounts, but after the bank was closed always
remained several hours, during which he ornamented each page of his
day's work with arabesques in different-colored inks. He was very vain
of this accomplishment, and was constantly in the habit of calling
attention to the manner in which, as he supposed, he had beautified what
would otherwise have been positively ugly. His fellow-clerks amused
themselves at his expense, but his superior officers, knowing his value,
never interfered with him in his amusement. Gradually, however, he
conceived the idea that they were displeased with him, and at last
the notion became so firmly rooted in his mind that he resigned his
position, notwithstanding the protestations of the directors that his
idea was erroneous. Delusions of various other kinds supervened, and he
passed into a condition of chronic insanity, in which he still remains.
In most of the cases occurring under this head the intellectual powers
are not of a high order, though there may sometimes be a notable
development of some talent, or even a great power for acquiring
learning. Painters, sculptors, musicians, mathematicians, poets, and men
of letters generally, not infrequently exhibit eccentricities of dress,
conduct, manner, or ideas, which not only merely add to their notoriety,
but often make them either the laughing-stocks of their fellow-men or
objects of fear or disgust to all who are brought into contact with
them.
IDIOSYNCRASY.--By idiosyncrasy we understand a peculiarity of
constitution by which an individual is affected by external agents in a
manner different from mankind in general. Thus, some persons cannot eat
strawberries without a kind of urticaria appearing over the body; others
are similarly affected by eating the striped bass; others, again, faint
at the odor of certain flowers, or at the sight of blood; and some are
attacked with cholera-morbus after eating shellfish--as crabs, lobsters,
clams, or mussels. Many other instances might be advanced, some of
them of a very curious character. These several conditions are called
idiosyncrasies.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account