338 MUSGRAVE AND SISON. 



Scheube 9 believes the malady to have something to do with suggestion in 

 persons with weak will, and Van Brero 10 considers it to be due to the defective 

 development of will power in the Malay. The latter author defines the disease as 

 "provoked imitative impulsive myospasm." Scheube thinks that latah is identical 

 with mali-mali of the Filipinos and he further includes as synonyms oohtschi 

 in Siam, yawn in Burma, myriachit in Siberia, and jumping in North America. 



Tics are quite frequently encountered among the Filipinos, particularly 

 of the upper class, and mali-mali, mimicry, echokinesia, echolalia, echoki- 

 memia, or other form of mimic habit, without the presence of tic, are 

 considered to be quite prevalent among the lower class of Filipinos, 

 almost exclusively in the females. 



The observations of Charcot and Ballet as to "superior degeneracy" as 

 an origin of tics is borne out here, at least to the extent that cases of 

 tic are for the greater part encountered among the higher classes, and 

 particularly in suggestive relation to genius. With mali-mali the opposite 

 condition is found, the cases all occur among the lower classes of the 

 community, "mostly among women and in the presence of a mentality 

 which is so primitive that it may hardly be used for comparative purposes. 



While the physician hears of many cases of mali-mali, they are difficult 

 to bring under observation in the hospitals, but the following typical case 

 has been carefully studied in St. Paul's Hospital and may be reported. 



Case I. Mali-mali, echolalia, echokinesia, echokimemia. — 'Isabel de la Cruz, 

 female, Filipina, widow, occupation washerwoman. Stated age 59 years, but 

 appears much older. Has taken about 30 grams of vino daily since she was 18 

 years old and smokes a moderate number of cigars. Venereal history is negative. 

 No history of hereditary tendencies has been found. Menstruation has always 

 been normal and regular and ceased without marked disturbance at the age of 

 37. She was married at a very early age and has given birth to six children, 

 all of whom are living and free from symptoms of mali-mali. There is no history 

 of important previous illness. 



Present illness. — The patient states that she was a very nervous child, easily 

 frightened, and that this condition was aggravated by the pranks of her associates. 

 When quite a young girl she was much in contact with an older woman suffering 

 from mimic habit and our patient believes her condition to have been acquired 

 from much practice in forcing the older woman to imitate words and actions. 

 The mimic habit when once started progressed rapidly, and reached its present 

 status of echolalia and echokinesia when the patient was still a young girl. 



Present condition. — The patient was admitted to St. Paul's Hospital because 

 of a slight accident and the mimic habit was accidentally discovered after she 

 had been admitted to the ward. The psychosis is a typical mimic habit, confined 

 to echolalia, or mimicry of words, and echokinesia, or mimicry of movements. 

 There is no tic or other muscular spasm, no autostimulation or desire to continue 

 any abnormal sound or movement, except by direct stimulation by sight and 

 sound from some person acting as mentor. What may be called her receptive 

 stage is only obtained by first securing the patient's close attention, which may 



hoc cit., 



10 Allg. Ztschr. f. Psych. (1895), 2, No. 5. 



