Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-06-12
MORBID DTPULSE.
synopsis Of Paper 10y DIR. w. q. Ham
mOnd before the Ncw-HOrk MedIeO-
Legal society.

mona DeIore the NcW-AOrk MedtcO-
Legal society.
At the monthly meeting of the Medico-
Legal Society, held May 2S, under the pres
idency of Mr. Clark Bell, at the college of
Physicians and Surgeons, corner of Twenty
third street and Fourth avenue, n. ",
Prof. \. Hammond read paper on "Mor-
bid Impulse The paper consisted chief
y Of recital of cases of morbid impulse
that had come under the observation OF
Prof Hammond, without any specially
elaborate analysis OF the disease. He laid
down the proposition, however, that OBJ
servers could never be sure that those af-
flictcd with this tendency had exercised all
their will-powcr in resisting il. In refer
ring to the several eases that had come un-
der his observation, Prof. Hammond men
TONED one instance of young man who
told him that he felt impelled 10y an ire
Sistahle power TO Kill his friend. lie had
even gone 81 far as to put some strychnine
in a mug Of ale which he had invited him
| todrink. However, as his friend was about
TO drink the ale he knocked ii out of his
hand as if Ivy accident. 1t not unfrequent-
| ly happened, lie said, that persons took
| pleasure in carrying out these impulses,
aud lie nstanced the case of one young
man who told him that he knew he was
doing wrong, but that it gave him pleasure
TO do it. lie mentioned another instance
of a young man who was arrested for as
| saulting lady in tho street. His mode Of
procedure was 10 throw down the lady
whom he might meet, take of her shoes,
| nj nil hnt ho Ala rn in
any other way molest her. On searching
this young mans trunk, it was found full
of ladies' shoes. He had no use for them,
but it gave him pleasure to take them. In
1864 man killed, in the forest Of Vincennes,
two little boys, whom he had never seen
before, and when confined in prison he
said that he had no motive TO Kill the chill
dren. The case Of Waltz, who had been
lately executed, seemed to him TO cumo
within the same category. Undoubtedly,
he said, habit had much to do with crime,
which arose in the first instance from mere
impulse, anu in illustration of this theory
he referred 10 several eases, among them
that OF the boy Pomeroy, who created a
great deal OF excitement about two years
ago in Chelsea, near Boston. Al that time
great cruelties were perpetrated on chill
dren at Chelsea, in various ways. Pomo-
roy, who was boy of about fourteen years,
was discovered TO be the perpetrator of
these cruelties, and he was convicted and
sent 10 the House of Refuge. He was re-
leased on the 9th of February, and in the
following April little boy was found dead,
with his head nearly severed, and with
about thirty stabs in different parts of his
body. Suspicion fell on the boy Pomeroy,
and he was arrested. lie was confronted
with the body Of the murdered child, and
admitted his guilt. When asked what he
thought should be done with him, he gave
an answer which should commend itself to
the attention Of those having charge of such
matters-"Put me somewhere where l can
not do such things" Prof. Hammond
mentioned another peculiar case of morbid
impulse continued by habit. A young
man, member of highly respectable
family, had consulted him, and his case
was this; He had been struck by the ap-
pearance of lady who was walking before
him through the street, and who wore a
very rich silk dress. Suddenly the im-