paroxysms she rocognised only in a subsequent paroxysm, but not in the interval; and persons whom she had seen for the first time during the healthy interval she did not recognise during the attack.

In reference to this very curious subject, the author is induced to add a fact which has been recently communicated to him. A young woman of the lower rank, aged nineteen, became insane about two years ago; but was gentle, and applied herself eagerly to various occupations. Before her insanity she had been only learning to read, and to form a few letters; but during her insanity she taught herself to write perfectly, though all attempts of others to teach her failed, as she could not attend to any person who tried to do so. She has intervals of reason, which have frequently continued three weeks, sometimes longer. During these she can neither read nor write; but immediately on the return of her insanity she recovers her power of writing, and can read perfectly.

Of the remarkable condition of the mental faculties, exemplified in these cases, it is impossible to give any explanation. Something very analogous to it occurs in other affections, though in a smaller degree. Dr. Prichard mentions a lady who was liable to sudden attacks of delirium, which, after continuing for various periods, went off as suddenly, leaving her at once perfectly rational. The attack was often so sudden that it commenced while she was engaged in interesting conversation, and on such occasions it happened, that on her recovery from the state of delirium he instantly recurred to the conversation she had been engaged in at the time of the attack, though she had never referred to it during the continuance of the affection. To such degree was this carried, that she would even complete an infinished sentence. During the subsequent paroxysm, igain, she would pursue the train of ideas which had occupied her mind in the former. Mr. Combe also mentions a porter, who in a state of intoxication left a parcel at a wrong house, and when sober could not recollect what he had done with it. But the next time he got drunk, he recollected where he had left it, and went and recovered it.

Her acquaintances? The insane girl. Possibility of an explanation of these cases ? Analogous case mentioned by Dr. Prichard. The intoxicated porter.

III. INSANITY.

Reason we have considered to be that exercise of mind by which we compare facts with each other, and mental impressions with external things. By means of it we are enabled to judge of the relations of facts, and of the agreement between our impressions and the actual state of things in the external world. We have seen also that peculiar power which is possessed by the mind in a healthy state,― of arresting or changing the train of its thoughts at pleasure, of fixing the attention upon one, or transferring it to another, of changing the train into something which is analogous to it, or of dismissing it altogether. This power is, to a greater or less degree, lost in insanity; and the result is one of two conditions. Either the mind is entirely under the influence of a single impression, without the power of varying or dismissing it, and comparing it with other impressions; or it is left at the mercy of a chain of impressions which have been set in motion, and which succeed one another according to some principle of connection over which the individual has no control. In both cases the mental impression is believed to have a real and present existence in the external world; and this false belief is not corrected by the actual state of things as they present themselves to the senses, or by any facts or considerations which can be communicated by other sentient beings. Of the cause of this remarkable deviation from the healthy state of the mental functions we know nothing. We may trace its connection with concomitant circumstances in the bodily functions, and we may investigate certain effects which result from it; but the nature of the change and the manner in which it is produced are among those points in the arrangements of the Almighty Creator which entirely

elude our researches.

It appears, then, that there is a remarkable analogy between the mental phenomena in insanity and in dreaming; and that the leading peculiarities of both these conditions are referable to two heads :

Reason; its definition? Power over the succession of thoughts. Effects of insanity? Cause Analogy between insanity and dreaming.

1. The impressions which arise in the mind are believed to be real and present existences, and this belief is not corrected by comparing the conception with the actual state of things in the external world.

2. The chain of ideas or images which arise follow one another according to certain associations over which the individual has no control; he cannot, as in a healthy state, vary the series or stop it at his will.

In the numerous forms of insanity, we shall see these characters exhibited in various degrees; but we shall be able to trace their influence in one degree or another through all the modifications; and, in the higher states, or what we call perfect mania, we see them exemplified in the same complete manner as in dreaming. The maniac fancies himself a king possessed of boundless power, and surrounded by every form of earthly splendor; and, with all his bodily senses in their perfect exercise, this hallucination is in no degree corrected by the sight of his bed of straw and all the horrors of his cell.

From this state of perfect mania the malady is traced through numerous gradations to forms which exhibit slight deviations from the state of a sound mind. But they all show, in one degree or another, the same leading characters, namely, that some impression has taken possession of the mind, and influences the conduct in a manner in which it would not affect a sound understanding; and that this is not corrected by facts and considerations which are calculated immediately to relieve the erroneous impression. The lower degrees of this condition we call eccentricity; and, in common language, we often talk of a man being crazed upon a particular subject. This consists in giving to an impression or a fancy undue and extravagant importance, without taking into account other facts and considerations which ought to be viewed in connection with it. The man of this character acts with promptitude upon a single idea, and seems to perceive nothing that interferes with it; he forms plans, and sees only important advantages which would arise from the accomplishment of them, without perceiving difficulties or objections. The impression itself

Two leading peculiarities? When most completely exemplified? Leading charac ters the same in all stages. Lower stage, what? Nature of eccentricity.

may be correct, but an importance is attached to it disproportioned to its true tendency; or consequences are deduced from, and actions founded upon it, which would not be warranted in the estimate of a sound understanding. It is often difficult to draw the line between certain degrees of this condition and insanity; and, in fact, they very often pass into each other. This will be illustrated by the following example :

A clergyman in Scotland, after showing various extravagances of conduct, was brought before a jury to be cognosced; that is, by a form of Scotch law to be declared incapable of managing his own affairs, and placed under the care of trustees. Among the acts of extravagance alleged against him was, that he had burnt his library. When he was asked by the jury what account he could give of this part of his conduct, he replied in the following terms:"In the early part of my life I had imbibed a liking for a most unprofitable study, namely, controversial divinity. On reviewing my library, I found a great part of it to consist of books of this description, and I was so anxious that my family should not be led to follow the same pursuit, that I determined to burn the whole." He gave answers equally plausible to questions which were put to him respecting other parts of his conduct; and the result was that the jury found no sufficient ground for cognoscing him; but in the course of a fortnight from that time he was in a state of decided mania.

It is, therefore, incorrect to say of insanity, as has been said, that the maniac reasons correctly upon unsound data. His data may be unsound, that is, they may consist of a mental image which is purely visionary, as in the state of perfect mania lately referred to; but this is by no means necessary to constitute the disease; for his premises may be sound, though he distorts them in the results which he deduces from them. This was remarkably the case in the clergyman now mentioned. His premises were sound and consistent, namely, his opinion of the unprofitable nature of the study of controversial divinity, and his anxiety that his family should not prosecute it. His insanity consisted in

Case of the clergyman. His defence before the jury. Erroneous theory of insanity Illustrated by the preceding case.

the rapid and partial view which he took of the means for accomplishing his purpose,-burning his whole library. Had he sold his library or that part of it which consisted of controversial divinity, the measure would have been in correct relation to the object which he had in view; and if we suppose that in going over his library he had met with some books of an immoral tendency, to have burnt these to prevent them from falling into the hands of any individual would have been the act both of a wise and virtuous man. But to burn his whole library to prevent his family from studying controversial divinity, was the suggestion of insanity, distorting entirely the true relation of things, and carrying an impression, in itself correct, into consequences which it in no degree warranted.

A remarkable peculiarity in many cases of insanity is, a great activity of mind, and rapidity of conception, a tendency to seize rapidly upon incidental or partial relations of things, and often a fertility of imagination which changes the character of the mind, sometimes without remarkably distorting it. The memory, in such cases, is entire, and even appears more ready than in health; and old associations are called up with a rapidity quite unknown to the individual in his sound state of mind. A gentleman, mentioned by Dr. Willis, who was liable to periodical attacks of insanity, said that he expected the paroxysins with impatience, because he enjoyed during them a high degree of pleasure. "Every thing appeared easy to me. No obstacles presented themselves, either in theory or practice. My memory acquired all of a sudden a singular degree of perfection. Long passages of Latin authors occurred to my mind. In general I have great difficulty in finding rhythmical terminations, but then I could write verses with as great facility as prose." "I have often," says Pinel, stopped at the chamber door of a literary gentleman who, during his paroxysms, appears to soar above the mediocrity of intellect that was familiar to him, solely to admire his newly acquired powers of eloquence. He declaimed upon the subject of the revolution with all the force, the dignity, and the purity of language that this very interesting subject

Examination of his reasoning. Remarkable effects of insanity in some cases. Case mentioned by Dr. Willis? By Pinel?