The weekly Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 1882-188?, 1888-03-01
Fate of John Ramsay, M. D.
By W. H. 8. ATKINSON.

am physician. have made a life
long study of the human brain, and
may, perhaps, be pardoned if l say that
my opinions upon diseases of the mind
now carry considerable weight among
members of the profession.
1t is only week or two since l was
called to large asylum for the insane in
Northern Ohio to examine a case which
baffled the skill of the local doctors.
Alter disposing Of that matter | took an
unprofcssional stroll through the insti-
tuition in company with my old friend,
the superintendent
The asylum over which l now made
tour of inspection WIS a most beautiful
building, resembling in its appoint
ments the homes of the wealthy and
opulent. We wandered through room
after room and along successive halls
and corridors where men and women in
every stage of insanity passed the time
in various harmless amusemcnts, or were
restlcssly confined in the care of ward
crs and nurses. OF all the mist ortunes
to which humanity is heir, this loss Of
reason is, to my mind, the saddest by
far; and, though might be expected to
have grown hardened by long years OF
familiarity with all phases of weak in
tcllect, l never cease to feel devoutly
thankful for that greatest of all benefits
conferred upon mcn by q bcneficent Gre
ator-a sound brain.
We had passed through the greater
part of the enormous institution and
were approaching that portion of the
building set apart for the residence Of
the experimenting physician-my
friend, DIR. Habershon. Taking from
his pocket key, DIR. Habcrshon iu-
serted it in the keyhole of door Be
fore turning it, he looked at me in q
strange manner and said: off you
were not an old med, Hartly, an as
familiar with strange cases as am my
self, / should warn you TO keep your
countenanco and betray no surprise on
entering here. And l speak, anyhow,
so as to be on the safe side" So say
ing he turned the key in the lock anc
opened the door. We quietly entered I
very neat but plainly furnished ROOM
and 1 confess that, although l have
witnessed queer, weird, wild and. oft
times blood -curdling sights, never fel
so startled in all my life as l did at tha
moment. The room was not by an.
means dark, for it was we'll lighted b.
large window running ell along on
side, but placed above the reach Of
man, even though he should stand upo
chair; yet at the farther end of tn
room noticed students lamp burnin!
over plain pine-wooI table, upo
which rested human skull and som
writing paper. Seated at this table
pencil in hand, was a man about tn
same age as myself and DR.. Habersho
(40 years. gazing intently upon th
skull. What startled inc so severel
was the fact that when l had last see
that man more than fifteen years since
I had seen him i'll exactl
such position, with precisely simila
surroundings. And yet, what di
ference! Then he had just graduate
at the head of his class from our co
lege, and was looked upon as one of tt
most promising young physicians in IL
country-now, he was helpless maniac
Ramsay" involuntarily queriet
i only partially believing my own ey,
w. aon nodded. 'You nee
- IN .Eoa't rsplr. It
1s win sst * that tab
Skpli until dsybrsl