Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-08-07
Mental Authorizations.

The following statement of some singular
cases of mental Authorization, is taken from
the last report of the Superintendent of the
State Lunltic Hospital in Worcester
A patient now with us hears a clock tick
over his head at night, which, he says, keeps
him awake; he also smells many disagreed
bic odors which come into his room through
the cracks and ventilated openings, and
these he stops up with rags. In this case,
both hearing and smelling are affected with
disease. The senses in this case are prnba-
bly, diseased, as the man is kept awake by
the noise.
Another patient was when most insane,
visited at night by naked skeletons, who
ma lie lewd motions before him he also
smelled poison in his room and tasted it in
his food. This man would imagine that he
was on the confines Of the bottomless pit
without the hopes of escape, and so riveied
was his mind to this delusion that he would
become excessively agiiated and distressed,
4 nd sobbed and wept bitterly at his impending
fate. lie had one or two of these paroXysms
during religious worship on the Sabbath. He
at last recovered tavorably.
A person now with US is surrounded day
and night by persons who shoot at him with
white powder which makes no noise. He
makes holes through his clothes, and eXhib-
its them as the marks of the silver bullets
which are fired at him. He does not hear
the reports of the muskets, but sees the per-
sons 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 powder to revenge himself 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 converses with them. lie has seen
lightning and flame flashing through Ills lOOin
and aboutthe houses in town.
One man stands at the window and gives
orders to the railroad depot, half a mile dis
tant, resi-. citing the movements of the
cars. He sees his wife at the window in
the night directing him not to take his
me dicine.
Another man sees angels and chcrubs at
his window in the night, and holds CONVEX
sation with them. They tell him that Tues
days is the proper Sabbath, and he observes
that day instead of Sunday.
One, a bachelor, sees the devil in his room,
who tells him all his thoughts. He feels
sensible effects from his body, which are the
result of these interviews. He can drive
him away at any time by promising to get
married.
An old gentleman is visited at night by
the corpse of his friend. who brings him
~raisins, tobacco, &c. Sometimes he gets in
bed with him, he finds he is cold, very soft,
and offensive to smell.
A deaf and dumb patient feels himself
drawn to earth and the substances about him,
and says the earth is like onions applied to
his feet.
A recent case Of insanity, now in care is
annoyed by gas throwing at him, which daz-
zles and disturbs him so that he is unable 10
know what he is about.
One patient, who has long been with US,
is excessively annoyed with what he calls
"pIaster Of Paris wo men," who blow his
hair off with their chemistry winds" He
is quite bald, covers his head with a hand
keIchief, and rubs it constantly.