The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-06-11

attenuated and emaciated forms of Young
men prematurely old-the mark of that Be.
we're mental wear and tear of nerve which
the stoutest physical constitution cannot en-
dure without suffering and decay. But es-
pecially are we TO look for the existence of
nervous diseases where society is constitu-
ted as in America. Here the spirit of our
institutions urges to constant progression
and change. Here is no fxedness Of social
| position for The rich man of to-day becomes
| the poor man of TO morrow, and the wheel
barrow man comes back from California to
! be one of the princes of the land There
is continual strife or rivalry for advance
nent, because here the highest prize is ac.
| cessible TO all. These things beget rest
lessness and nervousness totally unknown
under the old patriarchal governments, and
so we find that now, under the absolute
| monarchies of Russia and China insanity
| and nervous diseases are very rare.
! Our fast American civilization of steam,
| telegraphs and chloroform has its accidents,
forrar r. - o,Sa .sS aud 4 crimes peculiar to
! these there are no precedents in the old black
| letter volumes TO guide us. Thus the Beale
| case, which we find referred TO at length in
| this volume, requires us 10 study how far a
mind laboring under delusion may even af-
| forwards believe that delusion to have been
| a reality. Who can tell how firm, fixed and
| indellible a hallucinaiion may be? De
| Bcismont, In his "Rationa History of Hal.
| lucinations" gives us many instances where
| delusions and halucinations became fixed
| in the mind, when they were the result of
| accident or disease. How far this may be
| the case in such artificial appliances as
chloroform, opium, alcohol, sc. has not vet
been so fully determined; but science has
l al hot ttara IL.
| between the results from natural and artifi-
| cial means III these cases. Indeed the whole
! difficulty seems 10 be in finding any divid-
| ing line TO define natural and artificial cases.
The case of the Count and Countess
| Bocarme who were tried in the Belgian
Court. for poisoning brother of the Count
| ess with nicotine is also given at full length
in this work, and is entirely sui geaeris
| TO both professions. The parties were as
eminent in society as Prof. Webster in this
country; and their case like his illustrates
| that in the peculiar vice or unfortunate hab-
its of the criminal or his associations or cir
Gle we can alone find clue to explain,
detect and prove the crime. In the Chap
man case, which is also in this book, the
character of the adventurous impostor was
very family covered, and that OF the vain,
giddy woman still mofe exposed. From
Iuoi aoea oiiii,o mouie pe very SURF Sfow'
10y US ry .ne s.uIy VI cnarac,er anu vi .ile
peeIu.aa, pI ileiltai @ IeseioPinen' " ,he parties
the proof of crime.
And let no one after reading these cases
attempt TO excuse crime by talking about
the "victim of circumstances" In all these
cases the mind sought evil rather than good,
and in no one was the victim driven, except
by the passion TO which a full surrender and
1aie pu VI soui iiaa peen V9iu6tarny made
Dooa'iiie anu WeOsler hdu an uia' MAN
Wi'" rEeu oesei ioI ,ie 10" years Oh eartn hrs;
nepiiai an h,cu III al eai'hiy Paiapeeisel anu
l@lvlteo @ .le sPirit oi eVi' 10 stay. II nan the
paWel pGu !, meie usea 10 resist eyp sna snake
oai ,a1 uenion e aIlal lures, which e lhe aafk
.S Vi oIiihe we see teihPtihS seouc-
W, loii, uie WoIiu woelu pe hhucn peller.-
M iiuii'tu s na'eiei ih itahili9 sPeclous ey'
oeoe e ioi iee iiail.ies, iaye entilely 100 Nhuch
@ y. no po: "hu MI ihi'foltules e upon q
Siaclous ifoslughce anu lotgels 700 much
uie prayer ieao us ho' iii'o lehnplation'
This book is useful in the fact that it has
not been written 10 sustain any system, plat
form or ISM, but leaves the mind free TO gen.
| erallZe from the iacts gwen. The difficulty
| in generaliZlng by induction will always be
that no two cases are far parallel; and that
tine thousand incidental circumstances vari-
| ously modifying each one, never twice COM
bine in the same connection and proportion.
The physician finds every day in practice
some illustration of this TO perplex him; and
the best key for him is knowledge of the
mysterious connection between mind and
matter. Fortunately mind retains the mas.
terry over the sensorious part of our nature,
and a proper knowledge of this influence
can often be turned 10 good account in the
cure of diseases. The delicate fastidious-
ness of a patient often interferes with the
operations of nauseous medicine, and
| then again intense anxiety for the operation
of remedy prevents its action. All nerv-
Gus power seems in such cases drawn into
the brain or mind, so that no vigor is left TO
carry on the work of nature in the body
Often when the body is enervaled by dis
ease and the blood flows sluggish and dull,
a new hope in the mind will rouse new
fountain in the heart, and inspire deeper
and quicker throb TO the current of life,
until the pale cheek bloom again with the
! glow of health.
Pythagoras directs certain mental disor.
ders to be treated by music; and Martinius
Capella affirms that fevers were so removed.
| A strong sudden emotion of the mind often
works such revolution in the system as TO
cure disease. Thus Haller quotes case of
| gout which was cured by fit of anger.
! But more frequently these sudden emo