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For illusions of fancy, visions, seeing ghosts, &c.: Stram., Bell, Hyos., Opium.

For erroneous fancies, fixed ideas, &c.: Bell., Cocculus, Ignat., Phos.-ac., Stram.

For crazy mirthfulness, singing, whistling, dancing: Bell, Coffea, Op., Stram.

For foolish gesticulations: Bell., Hyos., Mosch., Stram.

For constant talking, constant working at useless labor or employments without stopping to rest: Bell., Merc., Stram., Camph., Opium.

GENUS IV.-FATUITY.-IDIOCY.

Idiocy is a common affection. Cases are given by Pinel, Haslam, Rush, Esquirol and others, of partial idiocy. Partial idiocy is seen in a large scale in the Cretins. M. Fodere says, (Traité du Goitre et de la Cretinisme, p. 133), "It is marked by an inexplicable singularity, that some of these individuals, endowed with such feeble minds, are born with a peculiar talent for copying paintings, for rhyming or music. I have known several who taught themselves to play passably on the organ and harpsichord; others who understand, without ever having a master, the repairing of watches and the construction of some pieces of mechanism." And yet these individuals could not read books of mechanics; but "ils etaient deroutes lorsqu'on en parlait, et ne s perfectionnaient jamais." They differ also in the kind of their idiocy, and in the degree and kind of their mental power. One is all kindness, another full of mischief. One has a perception of musical harmony, another none. Pinel says, one idiot girl surpassed all he ever saw in imitation of the actions of others; but had not intellect enough to attach any idea to any sound she uttered. Dr. Rush said, one man had remarkable religious feelings, but was deficient in the other moral sentiments.

The idiot is deprived of all reason, and his whole sentient powers are weak and depraved. The countenance vacant; often distorted, often presenting an unmeaning smile or laugh; the saliva flows from his mouth; the limbs hang carelessly dangling; the whole physical as well as mental system is in a morbid condition.

Idiots are usually innocent or inoffensive, pusilanimous and submis sive; more sinned against than sinning, and the law regards them with charity and commiseration. They are allowed to go at large, although their property is placed under the care of trustees. A will made by an idiot, or a marriage contract, is null and void, inasmuch is they are incapable, of their own free will, of performing either of these acts.. To constitute an idiot in law the individual must be incapable of un derstanding the simplest duties of life.

CAUSES.-Idiotism is congenital, or it arises in after life:

1. When congenital it arises from bad conformation of parents, by bad diet, clothing or disease. In those countries where goitre abounds idiots are numerous. It is proved that intermarriages between near relatives, by lessening the physical and mental powers, produce idiotism in their children. It may be caused by long-continued nervous fever, or any cause that can destroy the sensorial or nervous power.

CAUSES.-Dr. Howe, of the Massachusetts School for Idiotic Youth, traced a few years ago the antecedents of 359 congenital idiots. His report says: "It was found that almost all these came of very poor and feeble stock. In every case, except four, or in 355 cases, the parents were closely related by blood, or one or the other of them had a decided hereditary tendency to mental derangement; or was of a marked scrofulous habit of body; or was impaired in health by disease, or by intemperance, or by sensual excesses-so that the idiocy of the child was clearly explicable upon physiological principles." "In the matter of intermarriage," says Howe, "my experience with various classes of infirm children, goes to show that nature protests against it, and sometimes with terrible vehemence. Where both parties are of sound constitutions, and without marked tendencies to any particular form of disease, the liability to infirmity among the immediate offspring is small. Where one party is of unsound constitution, the liability is greater. Where both are unsound it is very great. Where one party has a constitutional tendency to a particular form of disease, and the other has no such tendency, or a tendency to some other form of disease, the diverging tendencies seem to correct each other, so that the liability is not great; but where both have the same constitutional tendency, then the danger is so great that some kind of infirmity is almost sure to appear in some of the offspring."*

PATHOLOGY.-If the mind of a child is not developed at the usual period, or is developed imperfectly, we infer that there must be structural and radical defect in some part of the child's bodily organization, or obstructions to the performance of its functions. We infer this as a watchmaker diagnoses the nature of the disease which prevents the watch from keeping the true time. The "works" are out of order, or there has been original malconstruction or defect. In the case of the idiotic child there may be malconstruction or defect in the very organization of the child and we may not be able to remove it. We can but partially remedy it. We cannot, like the watchmaker, put in a new wheel or new spring, for we have no creative power. But, if the parts were all originally well constructed, and are all in their places, the disease is only functional and may be remedied. If we cure at all we must do it by acting upon this materialistic view of the estabReport of Dr. Samuel G. Howe, to the Legislature. Mass., 1854. VOL II.-30.

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Ished laws of nature; it is characterized, like every other ordinance of the Creator, by divine wisdom and benevolence.

There is a natural predisposition in the human mind to regard things spiritual as entirely superior to things physical; and this predisposition is so inveterate that most people naturally believe, as if by intuition, that idiocy and insanity are diseases of the soul and not of the body. The parent of the idiotic child never tries to conceal its physical infirmities, but points them out, asks what can done for them. But the mother shrinks from the sight of spiritual or mental defect. She does not at once admit frankly that it is idiotic; "she admits that the child cannot do this or that; cannot understand one thing from another;" but then she states eagerly something else that it can do, or can say, and apologizes for what it cannot. She begs not to suppose that the poor thing is an idiot, but especially not to suppose that it was born so. "The mother weeps for the bodily infirmity of her child, but she blushes for his mental infirmity. The tear is natural, and the blush is not at all conventional." Were it generally known that the defect of the mind is dependent on defect of bodily organization, it would, perhaps, be less common than it is; when it does occur it would be less distress to the parents, and they would be more prompt in making efforts, by treatment and education, to have the defect corrected.

PROGNOSIS.-When idiocy is accompanied by epileptic fits, severe and oft recurring, it is generally regarded as incurable; though several thus affected have been cured by correct moral and physical training. Among idiots the general standard of health is low. They nearly all belong to families which inherit scrofula or other dyscrasias. Generally one parent at least has been of feeble structure, and of unhealthy condition of body or mind. Great numbers of idiotic children die either in infancy or early childhood. Some die of epilepsy or other spasmodic fits. Later in life they destroy themselves by gluttony or self-abuse; or they are killed by drugs or other pernicious influences. Few reach maturity; fewer still reach old age.

TREATMENT.-We begin our efforts by trying to correct the constitutional defect, the general dyscrasia or ill health, which in some form is always present. "The growth and strength of the brain depend upon the health and growth of the great central organs of the trunk. If these are in full vigor they affect the brain favorably, which consequently attains its maximum power, and the person feels particularly bright; but if the great organs are in any way embarrassed in their functions, the brain partakes of the embarrassment, and the man who owns it becomes stupid." (Dr. Howe.) There are men who, during early and mature manhood, are acknowledged to have a respectable share of mental power; "but when the period of greatest

intensity of automatic functions is passed over, the brain slackens in its action, the mental manifestations diminish, and the man is seen to be a weak man, if not a fool, long before he dies."

DIAGNOSIS.-The idiot reveals in his language as well as in his appearance and actions his deficiency of intellect. He does not pass beyond the mere rudimentary parts of language, does not comprehend anything more than the general forms and sensible qualities of objects. "When it comes to that subtle but real transition from language expressive of the qualities and attributes of material objects, to language expressive of immaterial and moral relations, they stumble at the threshold. An idiot may, perhaps, make the transition easily enough, from the pleasure of tasting sweets to pleasure in the society of another; he may say John or Mary is sweet, good or kind, but there he stops. If he goes on to acquire the more complex parts of language, then he is no longer an idiot. The idiot never uses the more complex and subtle forms of language. A few use words of all the common parts of speech. Some use nouns only; others are speechless or use only interjectional expressions. A few read simple sentences and comprehend them. Some pronounce words pointed out to them without knowing their meaning. Arithmetic is studied in the school for idiots, and some idiots show astonishing capacity for making arithmetical calculations." Dr. Howe, on this subject, says: "Ciphering, said an eminent philosopher, is done in a small corner of a man's brain, and he might have added that it may be done in a small corner of a very small brain. Men of quick parts are sometimes so deficient in the faculty of number that they can hardly understand simple arithmetical processes; and some are even perplexed about reckoning change for money. On the other hand, there are persons of less than general average ability, who have what seems to be an intuitive perception of the relations of numbers, and who can see at a glance the result of intricate combinations, which ordinary persons can arrive at only by long and laborious ciphering. Some of these mathematical prodigies, as they are called, not only have no other faculty well developed except that of number, but even this ceases to work after they pass the period of youth; and from being tolerably bright, they become intolerably stupid. Such cases go to confirm the notion of the independence of the faculty by which we perceive the relations of number."

The education of idiots has now been successfully tried. The Report of the Massachusetts School says: "About half of the pupils study geography. One class can name the great divisions of land and water, the mountains, rivers, and the like. They can give the names of the States, and tell which is the capital of each. With an expert teacher, they can make a recitation that excites the admiration of a charitable

a olence. Linear irawing and writing are taught to all who are capable of leaming *The change which has been brought about in many of the infartunate children is very great. Their dirty and disorderly habits Ja e been corrected. They can take care of themselves in respect to 1st wins which formerly had to be ministered to by others. They can press and feed themselves with much more readiness and propriety. Sze we begining to be useful in various ways." See Vol. II. p. 279.

Rooms-The principal remedies for imbecility and dullness of De me: ta' facu’ties and senses are: Opium, Baryt.-m., Merc., Nuxgo, Sol & Sulph, Hyos., Arsen., Argent.-nitr.

20 » Paphone-Artificial idiocy is produced in Turkey by givmg oba small doses of opium. By commencing in infancy the seek gebers of the poison on the sensorium prevents mental Avorena ani this produces fatuity. Dr. Oppenheim, who gave the frst 142 cute information on this subject says: "The same method is etet ved upon adults; and it is a source of great emolument to see persons by inducing this state of mind which renders the subject of it despable of managing his own affairs, when their removal by dea. would be impolitic and inexpedient.

O causes torpor of the intellect. DeQuincy, in his Confessions ‚'s Oban Eater, 1821, says: "After he had for a time been happy 2x 200 drops of Laudanum per day, reading Kant's Critical Posophy, and surrounded by scenes of domestic bliss, he was comsafer the pains and penalties of the same awful agent

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i now farewell to happiness-farewell to peace of mind, to hope, serga dreams, and the blessings and consolations of sleep. From tese de is summoned away for three years, and he now arrived at the that of his woes!

His Fist misery was the torpor of the intellect. He has still his oral as rations and sensibilities; he knows and feels what is his

and what he might do, but loses the power even to attempt. In se of all that he ought to perform, an incubus presses him down; de eses de spell that chains him. He would rise and walk, but he

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ORDER 11. -AFFECTING THE SENSATION.

4. Nervous Tissue.-The nervous tissue or neurine, 、engal elements two forms of substance, cells and fibres. Me exre big massed together with intercellular matter, in colkayyan qa që pa the fibres, though helping to make up the A&are mainly placed in cords proceeding from them, the colors of these two respectively give the name of

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