Regarding the hysteria thing, I think, after having actually braved through a page or two more, that he was actually adopting a fake "isn't this mysterious!" attitude preparatory to saying what everyone knows--that the decline of hysteria as a diagnosis is in fact not puzzling at all. This fits with some of my other annoyances with the book--I don't think he's very respectful of the intelligence of his readers. And just judging from the labcoat episode, I suspect, though I cannot prove, that he's a self-involved prick.
Re: I think someone needs to hit him with a Clue-by-Four quick!
Regarding the hysteria thing, I think, after having actually braved through a page or two more, that he was actually adopting a fake "isn't this mysterious!" attitude preparatory to saying what everyone knows--that the decline of hysteria as a diagnosis is in fact not puzzling at all. This fits with some of my other annoyances with the book--I don't think he's very respectful of the intelligence of his readers. And just judging from the labcoat episode, I suspect, though I cannot prove, that he's a self-involved prick.