Sir Almroth Wright (1861-1947) was a distinguished bacteriologist and immunologist but was also a virulent (pun intended) campaigner against giving women the vote. He said they were hysteria prone. One hundred years ago today, Melbourne's pacifist, suffragist Woman Voter ran a satirical tale of a stranger coming to Sir Almroth with some exciting news.
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" 'I have come to you, Sir Almroth, with a discovery I have made. I have discovered Hysteria.The germ! ' "
"Sir Almroth was excited in spite of himself. His eyes flashed professionally.
" 'I have millions of them in tubes,' the stranger continued. 'I have found my cultures in the folds of flags, in the surplices of priests, under the hats of politicians. Under analysis, the type contains these attributes – bombast, hypocrisy, greed, jealousy, egoism and ignorance. Dissolved they run together in one vigorous organism which I have named Hysteria Patriotica.'
" 'They insert their poison insidiously ... I have seen millions of infected men [fighting the Great War]. Their paroxysms are homicidal ... The infected fly at each other. The most interesting part of my investigations is the fact that these states of frenzy are only induced in the male. I now intend to seek a remedy for this Hysteria Patriotica, its results being so appalling.' "
Here Sir Almroth angrily sticks up for war as a wonderfully manly and glorious thing.
The stranger, shocked, diagnoses that "Sir Almroth I thought you were immune from attack by the microbe, but I see it has claimed you for its own. Poor, unhappy victim!"
