New-York tribune., 1875-01-13
CAUsATION OF INSANITY.
LECTURE BY DIR. GRAY.


| PROGRESS AND MODE OF ACTION or INsANrTT-pRs-
DIsPosrSG nsyLUEeoEs-xoRAL CAUSES NsUF-
| sUCIEsT OF THEMSELVES TO PRODUCE nsAsffY
| The second lecture in DR.. Gray's course was
delivered yesterday afternoon. Bellevue Medical Col
iege The audience fully large on the former
occasion, every available space In the ectureFoom
being occupied The lecture was a treatise upon the
Etiology Doctrine Of Gsusation OF Insanity en-
rsced the hsoTy OF Its progress and the mode Of action
Of en- uses. + ~ ft
Dr. Gray began by recalling 30 his bearers priDci
pai points OF the FIRST lecture, with view connecting
thorou ghy the subject IN their miuds He impressed
upon the Students the necessity for bearing in mind the
fact that gpont OF insanity was always SOME
deviation from physical health. Insanity Invariably
originates in some changed physiological sction aeetns
drst the rhythm of the physical and afterwsrd the
mental machinery. The equilibrium OF physiological
life generally admits Of wide swing of the pendunm
before pathological action IN sec mp, but sometimes
admits Vibration Of only the breadth Of hair Dr.
Gray referred 70 the byperama congestion ana poison
ing that the brain might suffer from and yet unfosd
itself again and again and maintain its balance He
illustrated his meaning by aIusions to sick heaJscae
intoxieation. and other diseased The speaker
said that dseas strictly speaking the transforma-
tion OF ply sologeal into pathological process That
was oause which capable OF setting In action this
modifying law, aud the deviation from health was AZ
that point where the TRANSITION occurred Grief excite
ment, and all the train of emotional expression
entirely normal Human minds did not pass tiy
from states Of emotion and passion into alien,
alton. Maddened RAGE, angovernasie fury, grief,
sod agony, that inexpressible, not insanity.
The problem Of the mode Of eansation 10 not simple
but prepIex king one, and it is not logical to say thai
because Insanity follows grief grief 10 necessarily
cause
Tue Lecturer went classify che various and
referred to in their relation o Importance as pre-
dsposng and exciting and drew attention TO the iode
pendence and sequence of acting as compound
factors developing insanity He maintained that the
cause Of disease logically speaking was the history OF
all the various circumstances which were foaDd con
which have contributed to the development
OF condition eompetent 10 originate mOrbid process
odsrn Writers he spoke of heredlty previous attacks
education eonsaDguineous marriaee cviii-
zation pauperism, age, SEX temperament social con
duiop. occupation aud climate but he regarded
such remote Influences as snnste age, oeIupa.on ano
social position, rather as questions soesl scencs 70
be investigated efecug masses aud not as Affecting
Gray quoted a remark made by Maudsiey to tine effect
that no became insane because OF being tnan OF
ton as TO marriage aud cenbseyg while there were
single than married men insane and more married
hlences than either marriage or ceilbacy Dr. Gray
also gave little prominence TO the influence OF
ferring to the Influence OF puberty and the
emacterc in w0Ten ne SS tns' as az saa 3. aas
did not touch either Of these periods.
The lecturer referred to the long nst OF exciting
they finally induced insanity through dlsordered cond
IN them in,o moral and phJ steal causes n
cause was competent 10 induce insanity by giving rise
in the mind 20 exciting depressing ideas, then any
nanse may do IT, and there viii be 10 limit All the elr
cumstauces OF human life cOnid be enumerated under
eansalioo The speaker referred Ia causes found in
hooks aud reports OF asyums, often OF the ry
olous and character He SPOKE OF the
fact that AL the Ocaled moral the exercise
OF normal human passions and emotions arising IN the
OF social fe He s,id the rage OF leal
ousy the passionate gref of disappointed love were
only the expressions OF natural teeilDgs and
that the tragedies growing out OF them only wens
| to show what humanity might De ana yet
! not be mad. Insanity was not simply disturbed
| reason, but profound disease OF me brain not
] burst OF passion out loss OF ldentlty OF
relation OF persons and things; not mysterious IN
tangible something but disease when writes ltsei
the whole physical man. ana whlch II NOT arrested
advances steadily IN his deterioration TO DEATH lie
maintained that the doctrine OF eausaton carried wth
the treatment; that as some maintained u insanity
was diseased nnd without diseased OraIn, the whole
question might releGated TO priests aud unprofes
siona only as disease was II brought within the
| scope and duties OF the medical profession Being
disease the greatest importance tnat the law
OF caustou shoul be we'll Appreciated that the patient
might be put under medical al lie earliest possible
moment Dr. Gay presented the ioio WING coneiusionS
FirI Whatever causes operate 10 induce insanity.
they only do through their 1na interference with the
ply sca conditions OF the brain through physiological
second so-called moral causes are incompetent tn
themselves TO induce insanity except through the
physical failure which may ensue frou loss OF sheep,
lack Of nutrition, and consequent loss OF
rest and nutrition OF the brain and nervous system
Third All these adverse conditions associated cannot
produce insanity except with the nnai agency OF pnys
% The brain is governed by laws of physiology.
aud the mind does not upset itself. II the
mind, claimed, was mere secretion
or enanatiou II would be physiological pro-
cess TO have thing secreted deranged, without
eeding changes IN the seereting organ Dr. Gray maln-
taiued that the law of causaton was the same with
insanity any other disease whether cerebral or
not Tue speaker did not believe that insanity existed
except when starting on basis Causes could
not operate the degree OF such permanent disturb
ance of mlnd wnlle the brain continued IN state OF
health. He said that IN tbe beginning ia ali cases
they carefully observed. morbid physcai cODd-
Ons would ne found TO precede the mental disturbance
their aggrvatIOn Increased the intensity OF the morbid
mental phenomena. Generally series ot related phys
before marked organic or structural changes took place
the condition Of recovery from INSANITY The dis,
changes OF structure marked tue prosrcss OF tne ds-
ease Among the disOrdered processes initiating In
sanity and & ~ he me- G 1e S 70 os Def
ehanges nutrition in the TISSUES following hypere-
in the smaller vessels, localized and geu-
e:al concestioBs infammatory processes chronic
morbid conditions after apOpieXy. parayets meningitis.
injuries tumOrs 81; also 10 various ulrordered states
outside the brain, out finally radatng ther influence 10
the brain uerre diseases. diseases OF the kdneYs,
liver lungs, and especially morsid conditions OF the
sympathetic nervous system.
DT Graz referred TO all these producing agents 70
which moral reflect their influence on the nutrt-
ton of the brain and nervous system acting only al
influences. In many cases the causes we're
difficult determine; ia others quite easy; the latter
were blows the head sunstr0ke OF YES
ses through rheumatic and other diseases; also IN
certain eases OF intemperanee drunkenness was not
IN Itself disease It was preemiheDty vice, and the
pare MT OF wees Though It's unfortunate subjects
we're entitled sympathy and the OF Restoration.
IL ought NOT in itself to be recognized as "a
Tue lecturer said that under the most careful obserya-
on IN the asylum Utica, taxing % years and over
LOCO patients nearly Is per cent the cause renamed
Insanity MAS often developed SO grad
ualy and people often unobservani, u not IN
different 10 ugs OF heab. that when insanity
finally appeared the conditions Initiating II coud not
be deerniued He referred 10 the iDportance Of dis
tnguishiug causes and consequences he said u was
quite common take as cause OF INSANITY religious
anxiety or excitement, wnen taese were really the
symptoms OF the disease and present the
Of health. He quoted this sentence
- Tn fAe of IN