Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-06-18
Morbid Impulse.

DR.. VIM. A. Hammond read an interest
ing paper last night before the members
of the Medico-L Legal Association, on
Morbid Impulse" that strange physic
force which impels men to the commits
sion of crime when there would appear to
be no possible reason for it. The theme
was ably handled, and the essay was so
little burdened with technical nomencla-
ture as to be perfectly Ineligible in all
its parts to the most unsophisticated of
the doctors auditors.
The lecturer instanced as singular
illustration of the effect of the morbid
impulse the case recently reported in the
san of man who while in his garden
with his little daughter felt sudden and
almost irresistible impulse to murder her
with his spade. The afflicted father wrote
to the doctor giving in detail all his
symptoms, and begging for advice. The
reply was: keep the morbid impulse
under the control of your will. If you
do not, and should allow it to influence
you, you will be guilty of murder" The
man was in every way healthy, and this
singular desire to kill his favorite child
was conquered by the exercise of the will.
Another of the doctors patients who was
impelled to iniure those near him con-
fessed, on examination, that he did so un-
der an irresistible impulse; that he was
only for the time in such condition men,
tally that he took pleasure in doing harm
to others. Not long ago a young man of
good family became the victim of a sin.
gular impulse. He could not resist the
temptation to attack women in the street,
throw them down and take their shoes
from their feet. When he was arrested
and his trunks were examined they were
found to be full of shoes of all sizes and
qualities. When asked what reason he
had for his conduct he could only answer
that he acted under an impulse that he
could not resist. The young man was OF
irreproachable character, and was taken
with this infatuation at a moments no
tice.
DR.. Dixon reports the case of a gentle
mans son at school who developed sud
denly an uncomfortable impulse to steal
sheets and blankets. Except for this pc
culiarity the boy was held in the highest
estimation. In 1924 well-known citizen
of French city killed two children in
the woods in the presence oftheir mother
When placed in jail he attempted to kill
his fellow-prisoners and to burn the Jail
After a carefully conducted trial he was
found guilty of murder and executed
The plea of insanity had been entered in
his defense, but it was entirely disre
garded. Many other cases were cited
from the jurisprudence of France, show
ing the force of habit in causing men to
repeat crimes. One woman, known as 8
good, kind -hearted mother and neighbor
murdered twenty eight persons by poison
before being detected; another had killed
| fifteen. In neither case was any reason
assigned. The murderers were actuated
| by an impulse which had become a par,
of their physical being.
One of the most remarkable cases was
that of Jesse Pomeroy, 1.-The boy with
the white eye" whose horrible brutalities
perpetrated upon little boys in Boston
only fourteen years old when arrested
yet he had MANNED large number OF
children. After serving in the House Of
he was released. and within few
months afterward began mis- hor
rid work again, bringing ii to s
close by the murder of a little five-year
old boy whose bodyhe had cruelty man
R1td. " DCh dShCu why IO Gi'
child he answered that he did not know
"What should be done with your" wa
asked. Il ought to be put where cam
do such things"-an answer it would bt
well for tender hearted jurors to consider
The lecturer cited a great many othel
instances of the singular influence of this
morbid impulse to do wrong. He attrib
uted the strange actions Of this class o.
people to various causes. Epidemics o.
suicide and murder were perhaps as much
produced by the desire Of imitation as by
anything else. One of his former fellow
students recently committed suicide by
severing the femoral artery, method
almost unheard of Within two weeks
two other men killed themselves in the
same way. One of these was Horace
Wells, the discoverer OF angsthetics.
In closing, the doctor laid it down as
essential that certain monomanacs should
be permanently restrained; that those who
act under an uncomfortable impulse fol
pleasure, like Pomeroy, should be treated
just as sane criminals are; for If we ex
cuse crime on the score Of morbid i'm
pulse we shall soon find courts unneces
sary. The plea of "morbid impulse
should be entirely disregarded by the
jury. Y. Sun.