25 years ago - Citings

"There is a tendency among the ideological to believe not only that they possess the Truth in ideological matters but that even the least important matters must conform to their axioms."

"A family of kittens had moved into [a California man s] house and hid under something," Mr. Proffitt told this newspaper. "He had no idea they were there. He had so many opened cans and other junk lying around, his only sleeping space was a cleared-off spot on about half of a twin mattress." The kittens died--and worse, but the homeowner remained oblivious.In 1975, the term "Diogenes syndrome" was coined to define such cases, characterized by filthy living conditions, hoarding, poor personal hygiene, and hostility and antisocial behavior, after a Greek philosopher who reportedly had those attributes (Lancet 1[7903]:366-68, 1975). However, the label means little because living in squalor is a symptom of psychiatric problems rather than a disorder, Dr. Blum says. True primary cases of Diogenes syndrome are rare to nonexistent.What's more, because there's often no formal diagnosis of mental illness, the courts may be reluctant to appoint a guardian or have the patient hospitalized until the evidence of a problem is overwhelming.Squalor is frequently associated with the elderly, but such cases involve adults of all ages and in all socioeconomic categories. The man with the mummified kittens lived on Coronado Island, an exclusive part of San Diego, and owned real estate worth more than $1 million."We tossed a twin-sized mattress into the trunk of our '64 Plymouth and slept very snugly there. We even found that if the wind became too vigorous we could be nicely protected by pulling the trunk lid down so it was only open a crack."--Dennis Turner, "Investment or Ideology?"

--John Dublin, "You Can Profit from the Carter Era"