, 1884-05-18
FAMOUS LUNATICS.
Men of Historical Note Whose Brains
Were Not Sound.
Howard, the neutrality-suspicious.
nnder Ia Grcat-KInG Frederick
DIR. Johnson--Tnsso and
Other GenIusos.

temper ana unaDatel cruelty are the result
OF insanity far more frequently than will
probably be admitted by those who
hayo not given this subject close
and special attention. This class Of
patients are all about us, and are
oitehtlmes all the more disagreeable and dan
gerous from the Tact hat in their calm mo-
hlents they can DO perfectly sane, upright
ana Kindly Ihelr disease has Its exacerba-
tons, It's phroxysms OF attack, and during
the intervals their bearing may be entirely
courteous, ana their whole disposition swees
and tender, Some OF tS greatest and no.
biest men OF history nave been the victims Of
these paroxysmal attacks OF insanity, and
Tor that reason have been oftentimes terribly
misJudSed
howar the philanthropist, who crossed
seas ana mountains to relieve the distressed,
wasa brute ana a tyrant IN his own family.
Dr' "lnsiow shys OF MIN: Ii cruel treat
hheiit CAUSED the death OF his wife. He was
IN the hahit Tor many years OF doing penance
ooioro her picture. he had an only son,
"hoh Ior the slightest oitense no punished
win terrible severity, making him stand
ior hourS IN grotto IN the garden. The son
oeeaIho d ,uhatic as the result OF TINS brutal
treatment" l am strongly inclined to the
oPihloh that even Tue extraordinary benevo-
Iehce Oh howard was one OF the symptoms
vi inc uiseass IN ms brain, Tor insanity may
haVe Rood as wen as evil manifestations;
ana SUCH exceptional self-sacrihce as his-so
olnu, SO persistent, 50 llfe-enduring-is just
~ iapIo 10 proceed from a morbid state as
tne directly opposite qualities OF ungovern-
hnle rage, intense hate or cruelty.
hIe&ahuar the Sreat behaved like a luna
tic in tho after days of his reign, and the
supPositlon Is plausible that II he had sur
NlVed Il lew years longer he might have be-
cotno Il most mpIhcaDle ana capriclouS
tSrnhI FROM pong very hbstemlous he
gave himself up to dissipation. His lust for
power became a disease, and he strove FOR
Rigahuc itnposSiDlltle% hooespierre and
some OF the other leaders OF the French revo
Iution were proDahly made more or less in
sane by the exciting events in which they
Uook part itis certain that hobespierre was
originally ENUMERATED and considerable, for
no Degah me by ~endeaVorlng to procure the
nooheion OF capital punishment.
bous Al Oh frhhce was insane, both In his
uespouc cruelty ana chprlces. Ho shut up his
MOBILES IN cages or hung them on tho trees of
the forest lie lved In the constant fear of
aeatn' kept IN secinsion in his castle, was on
ihtithhte terms with MS hnngman, amused
hlin'eii by Watching battles between rats
anu cats drank the blooi OF young Children,
ana tried various and abominable COM
pounds IN order 10 lengthon his NE.
hlns rredorlck' oil PRUSSIA without any
reason Whatever, treated nus son and sister
iorh long time with tue most unnatural
ahu "'uui seFert9' ne Klckeu them around
the room, pohimeled their head with chairs,
~coHpeiled them TO eat the most repulsiye
1000, anu III every way made their lives
Wrotcheu' ms INSANITY IN TINS respect, was
aDSoiute' anu should nave sent him to the
mad-house' But ms unnatural and whimsi-
cal treatment OF ms family was only one of
| tut hJHlpbOUls OIL MS Dluu1eSS. no was In
consisoohtiy hVhrlclous' scrutinizlng every
household expense with absurd attention., and
iaVisnihg fortunes on ms army OF sianss' he
would run through the streets Gaming tho
loungers ana workmen VINO tell in his way
until tney roared Tor mercy.
Dr' Johnson was hypochondrlacal, and In
various why's gave oVluence OF a morbid con-
luton oil tine BRAIN AT the early age OF 20
he became tue victim OF melancholy delu-
slons' ana from that time forward
was never happy. On ono occa-
sion he exclaimed despairinHly: II
would consent TO have an arm ~amputatcd TO
recover my splrlts' Nretchedness like this,
when It'll temporary or spasmodic, may sig
nity but llttlei put when IL is persistent and
Ilte-long' IL must De Regarded as the symptom
OF cerebral disease thAI may and often does
advance to absolute madness. The violent
imPetuoSity OF Dr. Johnson his unreasonable,
Tor on the Same theory.
rascal was one OF tho most original think
ers OF france, but no inmate OF any asylum
ever presented more lndlsputahie proofs OF
mental disease thhh those which character
Heu ms "h"ie career All MS me ne walked
IN darkness, knowing not at what he STUN
Died, in constant fear both oil the present and
the future no was tno victim oil absurd do
lusiohs' was harasSed by excessive nervous
ness ana was inc slave OF uncontrollable &C
centrlcities On examination after death hiG
brain was FOUND 20 DC seriously diseased
Our American poet, James Gates fercivsl,
was troubled, thlhk, whit slow and chronic
type oil cerebral disease. IL would DO hard,
Indeed To ma any other theory on which to
account Tor tho Thousand AMI one eccen-
~tricilles ana Inconsistencies OF MS eniGInnt-
Teal career. lis absurd fear OF women was
certainly tull evidence oil monOmhnia; but
when we take TINS tAct in connection
with his lt.--long melancholy, his early
and repeated attempts ut self-tcstruction,
his unn atural ingratltude TO those who be-
lrlehueu mn IN ms distress anu MS anomalous
my other INTERPRETATION of his life thnu thnt
he never was an absolutely sane and respon.
slbIe being.
Tho gifted poet Collins wns at times n sad
and moaning lunutic. The eccentricities and
uncomfortable manifestations of disease, aud
during his short and brilliant career he gave
! lIIrtH az uIAnnA m ami EaRaNu