Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-15
LamsNn'S Madness.
London Standard, April q.

When Mr.. Austin, from the Office of
Mr.. Mills. the cOnvict's solicitor, visited
him in Wandsworth jail yesterday, he
found that the condemned man had
written an elaborate account of his ex-
perience of the mental aud moral meta
morphOses caused in him by the long
continued use Of mOrphia and atropia
LamsOn in his communication says: II
did not use the first drug alone, but in
combination with the latter, not, as
has been supposed. to counteract
the contracting effect of morphia
upon the pupils of the eye, but
because 1t not only enhanced the
effects of morphia as a sedative, anodyne
and narcotic, but also because it quite
or quite nearly Overcame the sickness
caused by the lnOrphia. The habit be-
came formed from its having been first
injected hypodermically by colleague
to relieve pain. then took it myself,
having considerable work to attend to,
and in order to brace myself for my pro
fessional duties when in pain. After a
short time it became absolutely necessary
to repeat the injections more frequently
not only for the pain but to lull the
nervous and general physical irrita-
bility, which often amounted to actual
pain of heavy rheumatic character,
in the head and limbs principally,
which occurred 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. OF even
serious drowsiness. Usually the injec-
ton 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 most peculiar and indie
scribabe state for some hours. But the
physical results, though severe and hOr
rible to look back upon, were compare
lively trifling when the moral and mental
results are considered. The whole
aspect of everything became strangely
and completely turned about When
in the condition 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 fan
cies and Vaccinations Real worries and
troubles, however slight. became terrific
in their awfulness, and anticipations
were even more dreadful and horrible.
The imagination seemed to pierce years
into the future. aud colossal successes or
failures imaginary would either cause a
rush of warm feeling and joy which
would even cause speech to be uttered
and fastening of the gait, or a despOu-
dency impossible to realize While in
the abnormal state alluded to the
most uuacc0untable things would be
said, done and thought of. Every
thing seemed ones own particular
right, a complete 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 very great extent. the power of dis
tinguishing or discriminating, a tendency,
quite uncOnquerable, to put off things
Demonstration in a most exaggerated
form and degree), my memory for names,
faces and events of daily life, which was
when in my normal condition unusually
coed, almost annulled. In all, an abso-
Lutte denaturing. demoralzing. demen
talizing result, and withal a
firm conviction that in few
days | should discontinue the habit
but the day never could come. The
greatest cunning in cOncealing the in
siruments and solution, and che pur-
chase thereof, and when used, as a rule
one or two injections after going to bed,
then an hour or two's sleep, then awake
in that peculiar condition / have endeav-
Ored to describe. either to get up and
wander aimlessly, almost unconsciOusly,
sometimes about the house, sometimes
in the street-those image fancies always
more real at night In New York l
would rise at any hour of the night or
early morning and imagine all sorts of
extraordinary things l cannot now
fully recall in detail especially
when President Garfield died, and
stopped at an all-night eating
house for slight refreshment, ice cream
or the like, and then return to my room,
or else l would read, and always some
highly exciting story which became at
once reality to me, and then exhausted,
when nearly time for rising, would sink
to uneasy sleep, fully believing l was to
carry on myself the events Of the nara
tive. When l awoke, generally another
injection, a slight one, in the morning,
aud then one soon before getting up,
(Which l always did very late when
alone), would produce twenty or
thirty minutes half unconsciousness, and
then rising, would continue the remainder
of the day and evening in the state of men,
tai absence and physical presence have
mentioned. When alone land l 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 doing took
neither breakfast nor lunch; but the only
meal in the twenty-four hours was a
late dinner with very little wine or
beer. Whether all this was the result of
morphia on brain always easily dis
turbed (delirium in the slightest illness,
etc. from early years. or the brain effects
of atropia, the effect of which l was
fully and often painfully con.
scious of in the dryness of throat,
rendering swallowing almost impossible,
and great impairment of sight from the
dilated pupils, or the combination of all.
| cannot say. know these vague gen
eral outlines of the past are the results of
something, and / can dimly distinguish
certain acts and dOings; but there were
many things l did and said which were
afterwards told me that / knew and
know nothing whatever to my own re-
collection. l am firmly of the belief,
vague, strange sensations existing even
now, that it might be of some service to
science were a scientific and PATHOLOGY
cal post mortem held after my death.
My relatives would probably not raise
any objection to this. ;"
A picturesque story of the Franco
PIussian war is told in Paris. M Am