Newyorkitis

The "affliction"

Girdner attributed a range of physical symptoms to life in Manhattan, including nearsightedness from buildings in all directions, irritated ears from constant noise, and a rapidity and nervousness in all muscular movements. The condition also encompassed haste, rudeness, restlessness, arrogance, contemptuousness, excitability, anxiety, a pursuit of novelty and grandeur, and pretensions of omniscience that undermined pleasure in novelty. Contemporary reviews and obituaries described the book as satirical; the Brooklyn Eagle noted that most people found a vein of sarcasm or satire running through it, and another review called it an amusing satire.

The Kansas City Press observed in 1901 that while the author likely intended serious criticism of New York conditions, anyone with a sense of humor could appreciate its satire, whether intentional or not. A 2001 New York Times report cited a family history describing the book as tongue-in-cheek and satirizing the provincialism of New York City life. However, a 2020 Lapham's Quarterly article noted that the press saw evidence of Girdner's syndrome everywhere, with a 1905 New York Tribune article reporting three thousand cases of men falling dead or dying suddenly, an increase of five hundred over any previous year.

In 1908, the Tribune reported that treatment for the condition was being offered at a New York YMCA, described as straight psychology applied to the abnormal conditions of urban business and social life. Earlier, in 1881, New York neurologist George M. Beard had written that civilization, combined with steam power, the periodical press, the telegraph, the sciences, and the mental activity of women, brought nervousness and nervous disease to urban dwellers.

Did You Know?

• John H. Girdner was an associate of surgeon Frank Hamilton and treated President James Garfield after he was shot in 1881.
• Girdner invented a telephonic bullet probe that came into use before the first x-rays.
• He was a pioneer in skin grafting and taught at medical schools.