The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-02-15
AN HOUR WITH THE INSANE.
Some yagades OF the Mos Rems-.ab'e Me
AmoHg the Patients

Amoag the Patients
''Yes, sir, I'm the light of the world. +"
said hatchet-faced, emaciated man in
the city hospital for the insane on Wards
island. And he looked at the superin-
tendent, Mr.. 4. r Macdonald, seemingly
expecting some acknowledgment of the
truth Of his assertion.
Getting from the doctor nod Of re-
spectful assent, the patient continued
90 You know, doctor, that I 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. NY head has been screwed off and
screwed on again"
"Wy did they take your head of?'
the dos.or inquired.
"Oh you know. doctor. You know
wei esough," the patient replied, re-
proachtnNy. on know that my head
is the moon and my skin IS the stare.
Where would you get your light at night,
| should ike 10 know, if it wasn't for
me ? Doesn't my blood supply hight for
all the street lamps IN that big city over
there?" As he said this he waived his
hand toward the opposite shore, where
the thousands OF little gas jets glimmered
through the darkness. 'Once," he con
tinued. ''my head was as big as our
friend, the doctors, here. Now, see bow
thin it Is" And as he stroked his poor,
shrunken cheeks, his head dropped upon
his breast, his jaws dropped, and he
looked unutterably sad.
eyes, but" said the doctor, trying to
rally his patient, "if your skin Is all
taken of and your bones are taken out,
how is it that there IS anything left Of
you p
The patient did not raise his eyes from
the floor. As the doctor was moving
away the poor fellow mumbled in answer
that ne supposed his body vas repaired
as fast as it was destroyed.
That's a curious case" said the doc
tor. at is mixture of mania and
melanchoIia."
stout built, excessively nervous man,
with black hair and beard, was next vis-
tied. He fancies that he has an electric
battery On him, and that his enemies
hold the wires and use them to draw
away his thoughts.
They came again last night, doctor" :"
the patient said. They came and took
my lungs out
This case reminds you of the patient
possessed of a similar hallucination de-
scribed in Charles Reade's Terrible
Temptation" Another fellow says that
he has doctor in his body, who moves
about to physic and torture him.
Can you feel him to-day ?' Dr. Mac
donald inquired.
= Oh, yes" was the reply, Il can feel
his shoulder pressing here" and he put
his hand to mis- 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,
saving, " I don't know where his head is
to day"
A very remarkable patient is an elder
ly man, an ex-college professor, who is
hard at work on a translation Of Horace,
with cepious foot notes. He talks so
IearnedIy and logically, that you wonder
whether he has not been confined by mis-
take. But presently he tells you con-
6dentially that Charles Dickens wrote
a Bleak House for the sole purpose of
iniuring him, and if you should say any
thing about poison, he will Immediately
tell you that his whole system has been
ruined by being ineculated with the
poison contained in the lead of the water
mines. He admits that he is insane, but
saws that he is carefully studying his
case in connection with the lead pt6son-
ing theory, and has hopes of getting the
poison out of his system.-[N. Y. Sun.