Hysteria \Hys*te"ri*a\, n. [NL.: cf. F. hyst['e]rie. See
Hysteric.] (Med.)
A nervous affection, occurring almost exclusively in women,
in which the emotional and reflex excitability is
exaggerated, and the will power correspondingly diminished,
so that the patient loses control over the emotions, becomes
the victim of imaginary sensations, and often falls into
paroxism or fits.
[1913 Webster]
Note: The chief symptoms are convulsive, tossing movements of
the limbs and head, uncontrollable crying and laughing,
and a choking sensation as if a ball were lodged in the
throat. The affection presents the most varied
symptoms, often simulating those of the gravest
diseases, but generally curable by mental treatment
alone. Hysteric
BTW, that definition of hysteria is a little dated only in that hysteria is no longer limited “almost exclusively in women.” SNAGs (sensitive new age “guys”—especially male feminists) would be included now.
Golly, I wonder what level terror threat it would have been if they had gone through this at my first year of high school.
The first week of school each new student was required to draw a precise map, to scale, of the entire campus and be able to give precise directions to every room of every building and know what that room was for.
And every one of us had an M-1 military rifle which had to be either in our hands, or secured in our own lockers. Some of us were required to have swords and/or bayonets too!
Admittedly, this was a military school, and it was considered part of turning us all into competent, decent American citizens, and hopefully, most of us into military officers.
I imagine that any public school administrator or teacher today would literally wet themselves over the mere thought of something like this.
Yet there was not one murder or attempted murder amongst the student body during the 5 years that I was there. (It was combined High School and Junior College.)