Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-05-14
LAMSON'S MADNESS.
The Last HOurs Of the Unfortunate
Man Spent in Writing an Elab-
crate Account
or the Mental and Moral MetamorphOses
Caused In Him by the Use Of
MOrphia aud Atropia.
London Standard. Anil 9Th.

A@ohNtAa CNahNdANf AP4A4 -fth-
When Mr.. Austin, from the Office of Mr..
Mile, the convict's solicitor, visited him in
Wandsworth Jail yesterday, he found that
the condemned man had written an elab-
crate account of his experience of the mental
and moral metamorphoses caused in him by
the long continued use of morphia and
atropis. Lamson, in his communication,
says: 81 did not use the first drug alone,
but in combination with the latter, not, as
has been supposed, to counteract the con-
tracing effect of morphia upon the pupils of
the eye, but because II not only enhanced the
effects of morphia a sedative, anodyne
and narcotic, but also because it quite or
quite nearly Oyercame the sickness caused
by the morphia. The habit became formed
from lis having been first injected hypo-
dermically by colleague to relieve pain.
then took it myself, having considerable
work to attend to, and in order to brace my
self for my professional duties when in pain.
After a short time it became absolutely
necessary to repeat the injections mere fire.
quently, not only for the pain, but to lull the
nervous and general physical irritsbility,
which often amounted to actual pain
of a heavy rheumatic character, in the
head and limbs principally, which oc-
CURED when the general effects had nearly
or quite disappeared. Of course, very soon
the doses had to be larger, and it required a
surprisingly large amount to produce sleep,
or even serious drowsiuess. Usually the in-
lection had TO be repeated within three
quarters Of an hour TO do this, and then the
sleep was of very short duration, and after
the habit had existed some time it left the
faculties, mental and physical, in a most
peculiar and indescribable stale for some
hours. But the physical results, though
severe and horrible to look back upon were
comparatively trifing when the moral and
mental results are considered. The whole
aspect of everything became strangely and
com pietely turned about. When in the con-
ditiou above alluded to, after the narcotic
effect had evanesced, the whole life was, as
far as physical motions and the instincts are
concerned, mechanical, and the mind full of
the vaguest and most unreal fancies and i'm
aginations. Real worries and troubles, how
ever slight, became terrific in their awful
ness, and anticipations were even more
dreadful and horrible. The imagination
seemed TO pierce years into the future, and
colossal successes or failures imaginary
would either cause rush of warm feeling
and 10y which would even cause speech
to be uttered and Fastening of the
gait, or a dependency impossible to real
lie. While in the abnormal state alluded
to the most unaccountable things would be
said, done and thought of. Everything
seemed ones own particular right, COM
plete inability to draw distinctions between
truth and falsehood, the real and those
ideals which became realities, right and
wrong, loss of the knowledge of time and
distance; in fact, TO a very. great extent, the
power OF distinguishing and discriminating,
a tendency, quite uncomfortable, to put of
things representation In most exagger-
ated form and degree), my memory for
Names faces and events. OF daily life, which
was when in my normal condition unusually
good almost annulled. In all, an absolute
de-naturing, demoralizing, demeutalizing
result, and aithal firm conviction that in
few days l should discontinue the habit; but
the day never could come. The greatest
cunning in concealing the instruments and
solution, and the purchase thereof, and when
used as a rule one or two injections alter
going to bed, then an hour or two's sleep,
then awake in that peculiar condition have
endeavored TO describe, either to get up and
wander aimless'y, almost unconsciously,
sometimes about the house, sometimes in the
streets-those image isncies always more
real at night. In New York 1 would
rise at any hour CT the might or
early morning and imagine ali sorts OF
extraordinary things l cannot now fully
recall in detail, especially when President
Garfield died, and stopped at an albright
clearinghouse for slight refreshment, ice-cresm
the like, and then return to my room, or
else would read, and always some highly ex-
citing story which became at once reality TO
me, and then exhausted, when nearly time
for rising, would sink to uneasy sleep, fully
believing was to carry on myself the events
of the narrative. Whom l awoke, generally
another injection, slight one, in the morn ,
ing, and then one soon before getting up,
(Which always did very late when alone),
would produce twenty or thirty minutes half
Inconsistencies, and thtn rising would con-
Time the remainder of the day and evening
in the state of mental absence and physical
presence / have mentioned. When alone
land 1 always sought solitude for the greater
part OF the time, the presence OF others in a
measure interfering with the portentous
and vast work the diseased brain was
doing1 l took neither breakfast nor
lunch but the only meal in the twenty
four hours was a late dinner with a very
little WINE or beer. Whether all this was the
result of morphIa on brain always easily
disturbed (deIirium in the slightest illness,
ETC. from early years, or the brain effects OF
atropis, the effect of which l fully and
often painfully conscious OF in the dryness of
throat, rendering swallowing almost impos i
BILE, and great imparmen Mt of sight from the
dilated pupils, or the combination CT all, i
cannot say. l know the vague general out
lines of the past are the result of something,
and | can dimly distinguish certain acts and
doings; but there were many things / did
and said which were afterward told me III II
knew and know nothing whatever to my
own recollection. | am firmly of the belief,
vague, strange sensations exi.tiDg even now,
that it might be of some service to science
were a scientific and pathological post-mor-
tenn held after my death. My relatives
would probably not raise any objection to
this"