INSTANCES OF ANTIPATHIES 



in most instances we know that they are the result 

 of pre-natal suggestion. 



The cases of people who fainted or went into con- 

 vulsions at the sight of a pig or a cat remind me of 

 an instance recorded a few years ago of a healthy, 

 strong, working Devonshire farmer, who was affected 

 in this way every time he saw a snake. He would 

 stop, the implement would drop from his hand, and 

 he would stand still trembling, the sweat pouring 

 from his skin; and after some minutes he would 

 slowly make his way home, and, throwing himself on 

 a bed, lie like a log until the following day, when he 

 would get up restored and go back as usual to work. 



And this case serves to remind me of a better one, 

 since I knew the man intimately from earliest child- 

 hood who suffered from an antipathy of this kind. 

 He was perfectly healthy and normal in every way 

 but this, and was a good fellow, although rather 

 quarrelsome in his cups. Venomous snakes, spiders 

 (and very big they were in that land), scorpions and 

 centipedes were nothing to him, but the sight of a 

 poor harmless toad and toads were very abundant 

 would fill him with an extraordinary loathing and 

 horror. He tried to explain the sensation produced 

 on him to me, but could not, and all I could make 

 out from his confused attempts at doing so was that 

 it was a dreadful cold creepy sensation all over him, 

 as if he were being changed into a toad himself. 

 Also that he had experienced it from early childhood. 



This subject of antipathies has been brought in 

 here for the reason that in some cases the person thus 



