Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1846-10-03

SINGULAR CASE or MHNrAL HAILUCI-
NATroN.-We take the following from the
eighteenth annual report ofthe Nassachu-
sets State Lunatic Asylum, published by
order of the Legislature
A patient now hears a clock tick over
his head at night, which he says keeps him
awake: he smells many disagreeable Or
doris, which come into his room through the
canks and ventilating opening, and these he
stops up with rags. In this case, both
hearing had smelling are affected with
disease. The senses in this case are pro.
badly diseased, as the man is kept awake
by the noise. A patient now recovering
saw, when he was insane, ranges of little
fellows on the side Of his room, rising in
regular gradations from one to three feet.
These phantoms visited him every night,
and kept him from sleep. Another patient
was, when most insane, visited at night by
naked skeletons, who made Iewd motions
before him-he also smelled poison in the
room, and tasted it in his food.
This man would imagine that he was on
the confines ofthc bottomless pit, without
the hope of escape, and 50 rivetted was his
mind TO this illusion, that he would become
excessively agitated and distressed. and sob
and weep bitterly at his impending fate.
He had one or two of these paroxysms du.
ring religious worship on the Sabbath.
He at last recovered tavorably. A person
now with lis is surrounded day and night by
persons who suoot at him with white BOW.
der, which makes no noise. He makes
holes through his cloths, and exhibits them
as the marks ofthe silver bullets which are
fired at him. lie does not hear the reports
Of the muskets, but sees the persons shoot
at him, and feels the wounds which are
made in his flesh. Before he came to the
hospital, he loaded his gun with black pow
der, to revenge upon the persons who thus
annoyed him-this caused his arrest and
confinement.
Another man came directly from one Of
our seminaries TO this institution. He sees
persons at his window resembling the pro-
fessors whom he has been accustomed to
hear, and convers IS with them. He has
seen lightning and flame flashing through
his room, and about the houses in town.
One man stands at his window and gives
orders to the railroad depot, halfa mile dis.
tant, respecting the movements ofthe cars.
He sees his wife at the window in the
night, who directs him not to take his me-
dicine. Another man sees angels and
cherubs at his window in the night, and
holds conversation with them. They tell
him that Tuesday is the proper Sabbath,
and he observes that day instead of Sun
day. Another sees vermin. and panicu-
larry spiders, crawling over his person and
about his rOomt One, a bachelor, sees the
devil in his room, and tells him all his
thoughts. He feels sensible effects upon his
body, which arr the results of these inter-
views. He can drive him away at any
by promising to get married.
An old gentleman is visited at night by
corpse of his friend, which brings
him r~atsins, tobacco, ETC., Sometimes he
gets into bed with him, but finds he is cold.
very soft, and offensive to the smell. 4
deaf and dumb patient feels himself drawn
to the earth, and to substances about him.
and thinks that the earth is like onions aD-
piled to his feet. A recent case o~finsani-t
ty, now in our care, is annoyed by gas
at him, which dazzles and disturbs
him so, that he is unable to know what he
IS about: A woman, now in the hospital,
is greatly disturbed by an old woman, who
her at night and com mands her to
things which she afterwards knows are
but which, at the time, she feels
to perform. She often obIiges her
get out ofbed in the night, and lie on the
floor; of this she complains bitterly, but
lare not disobey.
A very intelligent patient came into the
nall one day when / was in, and said that
IN angel came into her room, and seeing a
book upon the table, took it and disappear.
ID. She was greatly agitated and alarm
ID, and walked briskly through the hall,
'Iciaiming, san angel has been in my
and took away my book! | saw the
title hand, and the book is gone ~ She
Knew the angel-it was her own daugh-
er, who had died some times before. As
he was much disturbed, search was made
or the book, and it was found in the hands
{ an excited patient, who acknowledged
hat she went into the room and took it.
The lady remained greatly disturbed for a
ng time.