A Contribution to the Psychology 
of ‘“ Latah.” 
—E—— 
Davip J. GALLOWAY M.D., F.R.C-.P. 
The attraction which attaches to an obscure subject and a 
long and close association with Malay races must jointly form the 
reason, if not the excuse, for this paper. 
Whatever may be the etymological origin of the word “ latah,” 
it is now specialised to mean a peculiar form of nervous manifest- 
ation which occurs among many races and is common among 
Malays. 
This manifestation lends itself to a differentiation into several 
varieties, all having one symptom in common, a greatly enhanced 
susceptibility to suggestion from without, whether conveyed 
through visual, auditory or tactile channels. 
References to “latah ” in the literature of Malaya are many 
and several special papers have been written on the subject in 
various journals. 
I propose to avail myself of some of the published matter, 
more in the way of illustration than in any other, and to supple- 
ment my own cases. For that purpose I have selected those des- 
cribed by the late Mr. O’Brien and which were published in Nos. 11 
and 12 of this Journal, chiefly because they are described with a 
careful minuteness which could be achieved only by one who had 
had a long and close association, and was in close sympathy with 
the Malays of the Peninsula, and because with that accuracy of 
observation which characterised the man, he has portrayed one of 
each of the three great classes into which “ latah ” is susceptible of 
division from a psychological standpoint. -While availing myself 
of his description I am unable to adopt his-classification. 
There are several preliminary considerations to be dealt with 
such as the influence of race, age, sex, and heredity, but I shall dis- 
cuss them very briefly. 
Race is an important factor, for, although I have seen in- 
stances of “ latah ” among Abyssinians and Portuguese half-castes, 
it is mostly found among the Malay races. JI have not met an 
instance of true “latah” among Chinese, though the mimeses 
have been many and were usually the outcome of “la grande si- 
mulatrice ” Hysteria. 
Jour. Straits Branch 
