Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-02-23
Cause oE uuan MILlER.s peATa.

The decease Of such a men "a Hugh Miller, oy III
OWE hand, affords matter OF reelection TOR AL, NOR
especially literary men. That he had the least ide'
OF committing s.c.. en- set the day before, when con
suliing his physician, or citing peacefully rsadinG q
his children, 70 enc can believe. That be was y
any sense sane or responsible ct fhe time he commit
! ted the act. We l!aye not th- least idea. HIS letter q
HE wife shows ti.Gt, u he oopie,ppluted suicide, l
was after he hsd Waked out Of sie.p. patty dressed
himself, thought that he 'must have walked" Is h
tad suepectod the night before, and perhsps doat
some dreadful deed, ell Glrsr illusions.
Are then sli men liable 10 be thus attacked Whi
is safo7 Csn no connection OF cause and Effect b,
traced in this ina;terl His physician suspected Z.
danger, bi. family feared peGa. Tn. ., are. we mr..
sIui., thousands OF tn. very best men, whose wiye.
nave slept less SAFELY every night, since reading the
account oil this faarfu! tragedy. than they Gid before
hall dreadlng lest soIna similar catastrophe should
darkcn their own doors. Nor, Indeed. would il be won
darful if rcadiDg TIC narration Of the sad fate of TIL
most gifted man should, by guiding insanity In this
dIrect!G", ia2I Others 20 some similar end. TIE bes;
safeguard ia a full ami clear understanding OF tie
ph physiological caIses of these kinds Of attack.
How, and when, and where, thought aud feeling
begin 10 act upon the matter OF the brain, NO know
moi, Uht tist il docs, We know. 4 man broke hi.
skull, and while The brain was exposed 10 view, he
received a note from his wife that affected him, and
Sir A,t!y CnUper saw tls convuisions Of The brain
begin ~ move more rapidly in proportion TO his ex.
citemen!. Every pulsation Of though, every excite.
moGt al the imagination, Produces motion Of parts or
the whole Of the brain. 1t is this that cRusee all the
developments OF phrerology, 30 far as they are true.
Motion eniarges the brain. just MS The muscles Of the
blacksnith's nrm are enlarged by welding The ham
tucr.
Al THE motion produced wear and tear, that Is T.
proport.on1bi, amount or tcGTs -fane-. This ia Gu
sIly proved. Ii a man take what is called ~laugi;ng
gas hu will, o~fcource, enjoy great mental cxl'ilara!;on
Tor u .tOr; time. Anything, no matter what, which
produces that lind of cerebral exciten-nt, in Which
4 man will seem mentally 20 condeu,e hours OF
thought into minutes, will percepiIbiy increase the
rapiiity OF breathing, the quantity "f oxygen iubGied.
and tho oyydized matter of the brain, aue!l Is tie
phosphates generated. Tbs vast pnss out Of the
eystrn through the proper channels. If from any
cause, this "aste matter accumulate very rapidly,
and cnnnot DC got rid OF, it may CAUSE death from
~asphy1ia. II the accumulation takes place more
slowly it will cause depression to any degree.
Ali persons who know anything of e1riIeinents, po
,iticci, Intellectual, religious OF even social, know thnt
Immediately after the external cause ceases in any
Individual cage, there is u very great ~,calehcy 10
sudden rt-sction and depression of spirits. This
arises beyond all doubt from thi! physical cau.-.-
The mosi excitcbls men are ihs most subject to it,
Sometimes. in q dag or two. all will pass of, aud thr
gloomy ieeiings are forgotten, Us the accumulated re.
fuse is carried FROM the SYSTEM q little medicine Will
pstcn effect this.
But what is most important to remark is that fire.
qu"rflv no sci tciH Sem 10 OccGr SO dong as tic c-lcr
aai excitement ~ kspl mp, GH. The moment tint II rcas,s.
al the cJtcts Gppcdr. II ia the same with many other
poisors. DeIirium ,remens is generally the effect of
abstinence after excess, and the a!sehic enters Of
Switzerland find no evil from the poison rs long AZ
they keep Oh steadily increasing the dose. Ii is only
when they leave %, thet the symptoms of the poison
appear. ~ -. a., =. ,u.
He had been very bard at work for u few weeks upon
a work on geology. This work, it is aaid, betrays
more than usual clearness, force aud beauty Of ex-
preston. He always wrote with much exci'era9nt,
never Cuidiy, but always with an intensity and fervor.
SO lCug Us he kept this up, and went On increasing
the cssebal excitement, !ie could and did write his
beet tiiiugs. But directly this work went to press,
and Vas off his hands. thsn, and not till then, the ex,
cit, ment ceasing, there WA not enough vital energy
laf, 10 carry Of The wasted matter Of The brain. Tho
machinery Of thought WAS stopped too snddrDly.-
po' ION accumulated on tho brain. and hence The urp.
.ence OF those horrid visions. especially during sleep.
when the counteraciing excitement of the system wa,
the lGTc1t.
We have taken ths more pains 10 describe what We
believe TO be the real cause of this sad catastrophe,
because We judge that there are thousands OF similar
cases IN THE country every year, and that thew are
very often ireatsd IN O way directly the Opposite of
the true method. The real reason Of go many Of
these case. OF spirit Tapping terminating fatally 10 .
poisoned brain by over excitement. SO In MANY n
ca.a of madness, 10 all over. worked merchant or pro.
fe.aional nan.
Directly the symptoms. OF an over.tasked system be.
gin TO appear. n man is no. III 70 measure how much
mental work he can and oush mt 10 perform. A pbysi.
who well understands bis case shouid decide lbis.
Blu, the cat,rc Cessation from all mental work NAV
cause such a sinking down OF the vital powers, that
10 oEe can anticipate ell the effects. The system be-
zones Ike q isaky vessel at sea. whsn the water car
he Kept down by the entire e~1er,ions Of stesm
Stop the pump but for Ave minutes. ard
The waters will rise and put the i.es out.- pk,ladel-
Public Ledger.