North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1869-04-07
No. 49, McGREGOR, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1862
VOLUME XIII---NO 20.
The Lunatics OF Gheei.

The Lunatics OF Gheel.
The author of "Flemish Interiors;" a
book which gives q picturesque account of
a subject on which very little is generally
known, has just published another work
entitled "Gheel or, The City of the
| Simple" We transfer from the latter the
following curious facts:
''Ghcel is a Flemish village thirty miles
from Antwerp, and the seat Of the oldest
lunatic asylum in the world. 1t and the
neighboring villages, including a popula.
ton of about eleven thousand souls, are
divided into six districts, to each Of which
a special class of patients is assigned. 1t
is not easy to understand the classification,
but it appears that the harmless cases are
allowed to live in the central village, and
that the most violent are sent to the more
remote districts, where they can live in
certain farmhouses scattered widely over
a large heath. There is careful system
Of supervision by appropriate officers, so
that the condition o. every patient is re.
ported each nj sht to the physician in
authority. There are it seems ut present
six hundred and twenty nourriciers, or
persons authorised to take charge of luna
tics, and about eight hundred patients.
The management of the patients thus
devolves principally upon the families with
whom they board, and who have acquired
kind of traditional aptitude for it, whilst
the classification and supervision are left
to the central authorities. Some of the
results appear to be very remarkable, es-
pecially as regards the relation of the
patients and the nouyriciers. The arrival
Of boarder is generally celebrated as
little family fessivity. The guest is treated
to the best Of everything, and gradually
learns to take an interest in all the affairs
of the house. lie sometimes is cured by
the gradual ''resuscitation of moral yigor''
which results from friendly and familiar
treatment. The people have learnt pc
culiar practical skill in dealing with the
objects of their singular hospitality. Thus
for example, a mischievous person is al.
lowed to break everything he pleases, and
it is declared that the Indifference Of the
owners has better effect on the patient
than any direct restriction, and frequently
induces him to make moral effect which
leads to his recovery from the habit
Thus a young Englishman had imported,
amongst other expensive and unattrac-
tive habits" Is peculiar love of breaking
windows. On the first day Of his arrival,
this young gentleman broke twenty eight
windows; no notice whatever was taken
of his exploit, and next day he confined
himself to smashing fourteen. lie was
again mortified hy the complete indiffer-
ence of the villagers, and since that time
has completely abandoned this delightful
pastime. The result, if satisfactory in its
way, illustrates the extreme difficulty of
introducing the Gheel system elsewhere.
1t would certainly take something like
twelve centuries Of training to induce the |
inhabitants of an American village to al
low maniacs to live amongst them and |
break as many windows as they pleased |
without rcmonstrancc. a still more re-
markable case is mentioned in illustration
of the skillful treatment of the violent
lunatics. One who was subject to occ;,.
sional fits Of frenzy had exhibited symp
toms of an approaching crisis, and the
doctor had warned the woman in whose
house he was living to watch him closely.
The mailman objected to this vigilance,
and whilst the nOurriciere was sitting in
front Of the door with her infant in her
lap, he took up large pair of tailor's
shears and threatened to SPLIT the skull.
She walked toward him holding up the
her infant as shield, and made him back
into low chair ut the further end of the
room. She then threw the child into his
arms, anC running out Of the room locked
the door upon the pair. The mother
tainted away from excitement. but on re-
covering sent for the doctor: and on his
arrival half an hour afterwards, the door
was opened and the maniac was found
calmly nursing the child, which he had
restored to good humor, at the same time
with himself. The method was certainly
original, and perhaps it would take even
longer to train mothers to this use of their
infants than to teach the ordinary mind to
submit to understanding. 1t is, in.
deed. remarked MS a curious result, that
the affection entertained by the lunatics
for children, and the reciprocal venera.
ton which the children entertain for the
infrmity of their guests, are frequently
touching, and of almost incredible inten-
sity. A patient seized with an attack of
ravins mania is frequently restored to
it is asserted, simply by the
presence of little child. In spite Of the
extreme liberty allowed to the patients,
and the familiar terms on which they live
with the inhabitants, it is said that cases
of personal injury are unknown, nor have
the Gheeians themselves suffered any evil
consequences from their long and close
association with lsnatics. The patients
are liable to attacks of temporary violence;
frequently leave the houses of their own
accord and wander off into the fields and
woods, where they can give way to their
impulses without injury to their neishbors.
In an interview with one Of them, q Wis
itor remarked: 'You now tell me that
you are the Arcbsngel Gabriel, but the
last time was here didn't you tell me
that you were Lucifer p $50 am,' re.
piled the lunatic. ''but it's by different
mothers"
Another anecdcte is told of u mad man /
whose release had been procured by Bal
FAC, who had convinced himself and the
authorities after long investigation that
conspiracy to keep him out of his property. |
begged his friend to celebrate his release
by coming to breakfast with him. NO."
said the man, ''but l will come If you
make it a supper" Certainly" said
Balzac, "if you prefer it, but why should
you not come to breakfast "Because,"
WAS the reply, "you will see, as sensible
man, that cannot allow myself to be seen
except ut night, as am the moon." Bal
zac decided to be more careful another
time. The story, true or false. may be
paralleled by the anecdote mentioned by
Erskine, in his speech on Hadield's case,
Of the lunatic who almost succeeded in an
action for obtaining his release, till he ac.
cidentally admitted that he believed him>
self to be Jesus Christ. On subsequent
occasion the same man was SO conscious
that this answer had led to his continued
confinement that he refused to commit
himself again, and his former reply was
given in evidence,