The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-05-03
THE BRINK OF A CHASM.
Dr.. Allan M'Lane Hamilton or
unsupported Monomonia.
Symptoms Of the Early Stages OF Insanity
Effects Of the InIudicious Use OF
Leisure The Best Medicine.

confined to certain limits on the island.
4 He can not go above Fifty-ninth street.
DOR can he cross Il ferry. Otherwise he
walks about freely and transacts his
4 business. He is not ''crook," and
4 The police would let him go to Jericho
m Canada if he desired. Neither his
friends nor his enemies restrain him,
md he has n fortune that would per-
nit him to go where he liked and do as
be pleased. He is his own jailer, a
nonomaniac whose sole delusion re-
htes to the bounds which he thinks are
et about him. Not half dozen of the
hundreds of people with whom he daily
comes in contact know that he is not
4 perfectly sane.
Areporter heard of this curious case
n the course OF conversation with DIR.
Allan McLane Hamilton, the insanity
expert.
"Unsuspected insanity" said DR..
hamilton. .'There is much to be said
about it. which the public ought to
hear Many man stands upon the
brink of that chasm which it is worse
than death to cross, and though few
words may save them now, all the
doctors OF the world may not be able
10 bring them back after they have
passed over. What l want to say, in
the hope that it may do some good, re-
lates to the early stages of such cases,
the symptoms of the malady when it is
4 lnst beginning to take hold and may be
shaken of. If l were speaking in the
srictest scientific language ] should
deny that person can be wholly sound
except upon single point. but the APP
pearance is there. Such men and
women are by no means rare. Their
iunacy is of so subtle a nature as to
defy detection for years. though they
may be hopelessly mad. Take. for in
slance, the case of man who can not
g. above Fifty-ninth street. Three or
four years ago he was going uptown
and was near that street when suddenly
'he feeling came over him that he
would 60 no further. He yielded to it
and went home. Some fatalistic idea
came over him that a penalty would
nave fallen upon him if he had con-
anued. He brooded upon it till the
absurd idea had complete possession
of him. OF course there must have
been something in his makeup to pre-
aspose him to this madness. but by
proper care it could have been warded
oa. After while he came to me. He
can talk as nationally on general sub
lee's as can; in fact he talks ration
wy about his lunacy, admitting that it
ms all folly and nonsense. Hoping to
0feak him of it / took him in carriage.
saa we drove up to Fifty-ninth street.
ne begged me not to cross it, and cried
aSe baby. / ordered the coachman
% 60 on. and the unfortunate mono
maniac went into violent hysterics-so
Violent, in fact that l gave up the ex-
pflment and decided that nothing
e'uiu De done in that way. Now it is
sss as bad with a ferryboat; so much so
a@ another physician had fearful
s'Ae trying to make the man cross the
lass river. For all that the man is still
aae to all appearances and you might
ssoclate with him for year without
sAaing ont that any thing was the
a'a,'er' The only thing to be done in
sasa case is to take the man into the
s9antry, where there will be no Fifty
a'l,a street and no ferry. Let him
Eau systematic life. with regular oc-
sapallon and duties. The point is that
should have begun such treatment
&c moment that his delusion appeared.
ihe danger in all eases of mono-
aaia continued DIR. Hamilton, us
s s,s' 1ney will develop into dangerous
WINS Homicidal tendencies are al
.a!s to De feared. recall the case of
nu who had some apparently HARM
- aeiusion, but who suddenly de-
s'oped desire to smother herself and
~ mom-mate with illuminating gas,
~ n sae came very near doing it, too.
- .asse people are rightly sent to
.Aams !. =. by physicians, and then they