The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-03-11

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DssEAss AMI CRImE.---Light is daily COM
ing in upon the world of mind, and by the
help of clearly established facts, arguments
may be adduced, which viii have a stronger
tendency to compel men to take care Of
their health, than any which have arisen
from conscience, money or duty; that is,
the argument OF Shame. Lei men fully un-
derstand that certain bodily affections tend
10 crime, and that crime thus committed
confines TO the Penitentiary, then may the
community wake up more fully to the sem
timent, Health is a Duty, and therefore, the
neglect of its preservation, sin, which in
the natural progress of things, leads to loss
of health, and life, and honor.
In recent trial OF a forger, who handled
millions Of dollars in years business, the
defence was that he was insane. Among
the evidence offered was that he could
sleep only three or four hours out of the
twenty-four. In previous number we sta
ted, that growing inability TO sleep was a
clear indication of approaching insanity,
and on the return of sleepfulness, the intel
lect became clear. There were other symp-
toms. There was the sound OF trip-ham-
mers in his ears; blacksmith's sparks foated
before his eyes, and there was pain in the
head large portion Of the time. These
symptoms, lasting so long, had at length so
affected the brain, as to destroy all percep-
ton, or comprehension Of the effects OF
crime; and when the organ of mans
perception is destroyed, he viii plunge
headlong, and with utter recklessness, into
any kind of wrong-doing which circumf
stances throw in this way-arson, robbery,
murder, anything; and, if not detected or
prevented, the crime, whatever IT may be,
will grow into habit and habit is second
nature consequently, he will revel in it, ii
becomes his meat and drink, and he would
rather do it than not. Hence the prisoner
declared without hesitation, that il he were
released he would do it again; that he rath-
er liked it, and nothing could prevent him
but cutting off his hand, if it came in the
way, to forge paper.
It was shown ON the trial, that there was
insanity on the fathers and mothers side /;
buts,p indication of it on the part of either
father Or mother. It is well known howev-
or, that insanity, as well as personal iea-
tares, overleaps generation or Two. Often
a child bears striking resemblance TO
grand-parent, without a lineament of paren-
tai feature.
The acts of the prisoner were admitted
by his counsel, and the question of guilt or
innocence, rested on this--was he insane
,es nat 4
The use which We wish to make of these
developments is practical, and is of high
importance. A wise and stern medical
treatment would have deferred, if not pre-.
vented, the combination of events. And
how? t.... .s.....
The prisoner was under the habitual in
fuence of constipation, and an anodyne,
which intensified this constipation every
hour, while the principle of the medical
practice in this case, was TO let the bowels
take care of themselves-which they did
not do. This individual was never seen
by his business associates without a cigar
in his mouth he smoked fifteen or twenty
a day. The immediate effec; of smoking
tobacco falls on tho brain, excites it; during
that excitement he could not sleep, and the
reaction went solow that he could not sleep;
only troubled repose was possible during
the brief transition from one 10 the other
During the excitement, the brain ran riot
in the direction of the opportunity, and ex-
pended its energies in that direction, but
during the reaction, power was not left to
carry on the bodily functions.
The effect of constipation is TO thicken
the blood, to make it more impure hence
more unfit for healthful purposes. The
more impure the blood is, the thicker does
it become, the slower is its progress, and if
nothing is done TO alter this state of things,
stagnation and death take place. Stagnation
means accumulation, for the moment the
blood stops in any part of the body, the
coming current flowing in, causes an accu-
mutation, precisely as in the closing of q
canal gate, or the damming up of stream.
This accumulation in the blood vessel dis
tends them, causes them to occupy more
room than nature designed, consequently
they must encroach on their neighbors.-
The neighbors of the blood vessels are the
nerves; hence the nerves are pressedagainst;
that pressure gives what we call "pain."-
As there are nerves everywhere, point Of
a needle cannot be placed against the sur
face of the body without some pain, which
shows the universally of nerve presence
hence, we may have pain anywhere, and
will have pain if there is pressure. This
accounts for the steady pain in the head
The excitement of the day sent the blood
to The brain too fast, the repose Of the nigh
was too short to allow OF its removal be-
sides the energies Of the system had beef
overtaxed, and there was not power enough
left to remove natural accumulation, le
alone the extraordinary.
| But there is o alaw OF our body, whereby
pressure from any cause not only gives pain
but may destroy the part pressed against
and consume ii, by dissolving it into gass
4 GUS and fluid substance, which in this con
dition is sconyeyed ont Of the body. A ban'
put around an arm Of foot in circumfer