The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-08-03
F4NCTES OF THE INSANE.

"1es, sir, I'm the light of the woIld.''
said a hatchet-faced, emaciated man in the
city hospital for the insane on Ward's
island, New York. Aud be looked at the
uperintendent, Mr.. y. Z. Macdonald,
seemingly expecting some acknowledge
ment of the truth of his assertion
Getting from the doctor a nod of respect
ful assent, the patient continued ''You
know, doctor, that l have been skinned
alive here-burned alive, scalded alive.
You know it, doctor. My bones have been
taken out of my body one by one. My head
has been screwed off and screwed on again.
''Why did they take your head of ?''
the doctor inquired.
''Oh, you know, doctor. You know
well enough" the patient replied, re-
proachfully. ''You know that my head.is
the moon and my skin is the stars. Where
would you get your light al night should
like to know, if it wasn't for me, Doesn't
my blood supply light for all the street
lamps in that big city over there ?'' As he
said this, he waved his hand toward the
opposite shore, where the thousands of lit
tie gas jets glimmered through the dark
ness. "Once," he continued. .rny head
was as big as our FREUD, the doctor :, here.
| Now see how thin il is.". And as he
stroked his poor shrunl<en checks, his
head dropped upon his breast, his jaws
dropped, and he looked unutterably sad
''Ies, but" said the doctor, trying to
! rally his patient, ''if your skin is all TAX, n
off and your bones are taken out, how is it
that there is any ything left o: you ?''
The patient did not raise his ewes from
the floor. As the doctor was moving away
the poor fellow mumbled in answer that he
supposed his body was repaired as fast as
it was destroyed.
That's a curious case said the doctor.
cit is a mixture of mania and melancholia'
n stout built, excessively nervous man
with black hair and bearC, was next visit
ed. lie fancies that be has an electric
battery in him, and that his enemies hold
the wires and use them - draw away his
thoughts.
They came again last night. doctor"
the patient said. They came and took
my lungs ont"
/ Another fellow says that he has doctor
| in his body, who moves about to physic
and torture him.
"Can you feel him to-day ?'' DIR. Mac
! Donald Inquired.
''oh, yes" was the reply, 4 can feel his
! shoulders pressing nere'' and he pur his
| hand to his left breast
/ "Then, where's his head ?'' asked the
| doctor
! The patient felt all over his body and
about his throat, and then shook his head.
! saying 81 don't know where has head is
/ to day"
! y very remarkable patient Is an elderly
man, an ex-college professor, who is hard
| at work on a translation of Horace. with
coplous foot notes. He talks so learnedlv
aud logically, that you wonder whether he
has not been confined by mistake. But he
presently tells you cOnfiGentially that
/ Charles Dickens wrote BLEAK House for
the sole purpose of injuriug him, and if
you should say anything about poison, he
will Immediately tell You that his whole
: system has hrSnp ,-t1fn l.x.I
ted with poison contained in the lead of
! the water pipes. He admits that he is in
sane, but says that he is carefully studying
his case in connec ion with the lead 9ois1
oning theory, and has hopes of getting the
poison out of his system.