The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-07-27
TEMPERANCE READING.
ALCOHOLIC TRANCE.

Mental Wait, Without Compass or
Chart.
In somnambulism the person may
go about, and do many intricate acts,
without consciousness or any recollec-
tons of them afterward. In epilepsy,
distinct periods of consciousness oc-
cur. Acts unusual and often violent
follow, which are never remembered.
In mania these memory blanks are
common, and the person is an autom-
atom, acting without any conscious
influence of the present. These are
familiar Illustrations of some unknown
pathological and physiological states
of the brain, in which memory is sus-
pended or cut off, and the operations of
the mind go on without realization of
the surroundings or the influence of
experience. This is some obscure form
OF psychological palsy, in which the
person had no recollection of his acts
during this time. From the many
clinical studies of cases which have
been made, the following general con-
clusions seem to be sustained.
First, alcoholic trance is not an UNI
usual condition of inebriety. The VIC
tim is literally an automaton, and acts
| without memory or consciousness of
| passing events-a state which may last
| from few minutes to several DAYS.
Second, it is distinct from epilepsy,
| hysterla or any known forms of mania,
and Is found associated with some I'M
known condition following alcoholic
poisoning, continuously or at intervals.
Third, this condition is probably one
of brain exhaustion, followed by a low
erlng of consciousness till events are
no longer clearly remembered; or a
suspension of nerve force in certain di-
rections, closely allied to paralysis of
certain brain functions; hence there
are profound disturbances of brain
centers, and impaired and lessened re-.
| sponsibility.
One group of trance cases seems
never to do any thing outside natural,
accustomed order of everyday life.
Thus, a farmer in this state goes on
with his regular work. A physician
continues to visit his patients, and a
railroad conductor attends to all his
usual duties, without any memory of
these states. A second group of trance
cases seems prominent by unusual acts
and thoughts. Thus, banker in this
State left his regular work and went
round delivering tracts in the lower
| part of the city. A quiet, retiring man
became vociferous, bold and aggressive.
| A peaceful man was combative, truth
| full man untruthful, and conscientious,
religious man was treacherous and
| skeptical. Later, these events were per-
feet blanks in their memory. In third
| group OF trance cases, some unusual
line of conduct seems to grow out of
the surroundings unexpectedly, or
some old buried thought or conception
| comes to the surface. Thus, clergy
man insists on riding with the engineer
on the engine. A skeptical physician
takes part in a prayer-meeting A
merchant goes round threatening to
kill an old school-master who punished
him in boyhood. A wealthy man has
a new will written, disposing of his
property differently every time. In
| the last two groups criminal cases oc-
cur most frequently, although some
very remarkable instances have been
reported under the first group.
In little work entitled "Alcoholic
Somnambulism, Prof. Jerusky, of St.
Petersburg, mentions the case of a
chief of police, who was an inebriate,
ordering the arrest and execution of
two suspected Jews. His orders were
| carried out in form, but not in reality.
| A day later he recovered from the
trance state, and had no recollection of
| the past; he had total amnesia of this
| act. Another case is cited of an officer
who ordered house burned down on
the supposition that its inmates were
preparing to destroy his command.
Two days later he awoke with no
memory of this event, and could give
no reason for the act. In these cases
the somnambulistic act was along the
line of his usual work, and performed
without the slightest consciousness of
its nature and consequences.
The criminal trance may be divided
| into two classes, one of which seems to
| have no history of criminality previ-
| Gus to the commission of the crime.
They are inebriates of active neurotic
| temperament, who have occupied rep
utable stations in life, and belong to
the better classes. All crime is unusual
with them, and apparently grows out
of alcoholic poisoning. The second
class are the low neurotics and defec-
tives by birth and education. They
have a history of Irregularities of life
and conduct that seems to prepare the
waynfor criminal acts, and probably
are more subject to the trance state be-
cause of defective heredity.
Clinical facts indicate that in all
cases of inebriety there is a defective
brain-power and general perversion of
healthy activity; also, the door is
open for many varied nerve changes
and degrees of brain instability, which
always give doubt to the sanity of
the victim. The fact of being an in
ebriate points to an unsound mind,
and more or less incapacity to act or
think normally. When the trance
state is determined the actual re-
sponsibility or cognizance of right
or wrong is suspended the per-
son is mental waif, without
compass or chart. No evidence of
generalization or apparent judgment
in his actions can change this fact
Any special act may spring from some
impression laid up in the past which,
when conscious reason is Withdrawn,
takes on form and semblance. The
real condition of the mind is always
more or less concealed. Where the
case is a periodical inebriate with dis
tinct free intervals of sanity a nOSSi-