266 MORBID BODILY CONDITIONS 



at the sight of the islanders of Kapa, that all power of 

 self-defence, of escape, was paralysed, so that it tamely 

 submitted to be captured by them (Houzeau). 



What may be called a paralysis of fear that is, caused 

 by fear, and involving thought as well as will, apparently 

 all the bodily and mental functions, for the time being is 

 familiarly exemplified in all animals overtaken by unusual 

 and generally misunderstood, and therefore exaggerated, 

 danger such as fire, railway trains, or steamboats. Thus 

 we are told that various animals were so paralysed with fear 

 at the approach of a mass of burning lava during an erup- 

 tion of Mauna Loa in the Sandwich Islands, after a terrible 

 series of earthquakes in 1868, that they made no attempt at 

 escape (Boddam Whethani). Books, pheasants, partridges, 

 and other birds dash themselves against railway trains, or 

 into the carriages, through the windows, open or shut, or they 

 are knocked down by railway locomotives (Jesse). Sheep, 

 cattle, buffaloes, deer, hares, and many other animals that 

 might easily escape an approaching train by the slightest 

 divergence at right angles to it or the line, perish in large 

 numbers by their stupidity in standing still or in scampering 

 in front of the engine until overtaken by it their stupidity 

 being the obvious result of their sudden and intense surprise 

 and alarm. They lose all their usual power of self-preser- 

 vation, making no attempt whatever to escape the on-coming 

 danger. 



The phenomena of what is called fascination for in- 

 stance, by snakes or other animals of their prey also in- 

 clude familiar examples of paralysis of effort or energy, both 

 bodily and mental, causing the poor victim, as if patiently 

 and resignedly, to await its doom. 



No doubt sudden fear is the real cause sometimes of 

 otherwise unaccountable, sudden immobility in riding or 

 carriage horses, the sudden refusal in hitherto and usually 

 tractable animals to proceed on their journey. 



The effect of fear in paralysing motion including the 

 vocal muscles and voice has been observed in chickens by 

 Spalding : the animals become at once motionless and dumb, 

 as do so many others under similar circumstances. In other 



