Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-08-19
QUEER NAYIONS.
Some OF the Eccentriciiies OF Demented
Persons.

Nashville American: Said an American re-
porter yesterday to a gentleman of large ex-
p~erience in the management Of the insane,
"What was the most extrAvdgant Case of de-
mentation that has fallen under your OBJ
servalion?"
"Weli," he replied, "probably the most
unique case l ever came in contac. with was
that of Il young man of good family, who's
eldest brother was the le aiding phy-ician of
the town in which they resided. The case
was an hereditary one. The young man W as
perfectly harmless; bat his mania was wau-
dering around the country stealing dogs. He
would often bring home from a dvzen
to twenty ours, which any sane man
could not have handled. When bur-
glars want to overcome a savage dog 10
get 10 their work. they not unfre quently re-
sort to throwing the animal filings from the
frog OF a horses foot, OF which all dogs are
particularly fond, both to est and to smell.
l often suspected that the manisc in que,-
tion used TO employ similar means; nut /
finally discovered such was not the case.
There was some magnetism in his compost
ton to which the s~urliest cur became sensi-
ole. He would siesl dogs TO order and al
most invariably filled his order both a.
to time and number. But his work wss
gratuitous- he would never accept Iemun-
trhtlOu Ot any kluu tutTeiOTs
Another very remarkable case was that
OF a gentleman OF unusual attainments-a
French creole. He went crazy on the sui
ject of vegetarisnism, and ultimately could
not be made to drink water exc pit by force.
He claimed it was a monstrous crime to de-
stroy The animalcule in water. Had he not
been forced to it, he would have died from
want Of something to drink, for by reuouoc-
ing water he consequently renounced all
other fluids. Milk, being animal matter, ne
would not touch; he would wear no wooden
clothes, neither stockings nor shoes, for be
declared that going even barefooied was a
sin, in that many Insects continually became
victims to the pedestrian thereby, and that 10
add weight 10 the feet was a gigantic crime.
The slaughter of a fly or a mosquito would
CAUSE him 10 rave terribly. He believed III t
man should wear no clothing but leaves aud
eat no food but grass, pure and simple. This
he called getting ones subsistence in a ma
turaI way Whenever he came across a
dead bird or animal he would cover il with
leaves. The funeral OF 4 human being would
make him very angry, as he was opposed to
~Intermenls."
D persons crszsd by religious excite
meut ever prove very eccsntric?"
"Tes. L have known old ladies declare
themselves tine Mother of the Lord and
oSh inv VhAAS l. nav Ao1 = I
imsgine themselves the L1ra's prophet
aud the Savior himself. | once had a crazy
Turk and a crazy Episcopaliau clergyman 10
treat. The Turk was rather a Persian Moslem
than an orthodox one, tor he was greatly
imbued with the teachiugs Of ZJroastsr, and
hually succeeded in converting the Episco-
palian to mis- hre-worshipins tenets. Il was a
funny sight to see the two constantly falling
on their knees in supplicaiion TO the King of
The Day. Then sgAin / once had uucer my
charge an old Greek priest, who declared the
balance Of mankind was subservient to him.
For thirty years he had been declared by his
Ignorance CT all other Languages but an out
landish Greek dialect to converse with any
one; 5ut l was fortunately able 10 talk with
him; still could never get him to tell me
more about himself than that he had been a
priest, and that now he vas chief OF the
harsm aud a 'sabbadillo' into the bargain.
$50 leave religion-ene CT my patients
used 10 tell me- that Eis zones were filed with
sherry, and during his very crazy sp .lls we
we're constrained to exercise free to prevent
him from breaking his bones and thus tap
ping the wine. You may r~ecollect the extra
ordinary hsllucination Il Hecubs, san Ct
King Priam, as related In YIrgirs A3teid.
One man would labor under the impression
that the whole of the western hem sphere
was HE, it having been presented to him by
Queen Victoria; another that he had the en-
tire monopoly of steam transportation in the
world; a third that he was only crazy be-
cause debarrtd rom goiog on a iying-ms-
chine of his in7ention-a machine that eI-
listed only In hIa DCOr braiu.o