Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-08-14
I.ANCASrER, PA, August IA, 1889.
Iusanity Experts.

Of all uncertain things under Heaven
+ the most unsatisfactory Is the class oi
medical insanity experts. VI Is readily
admitted that the disease with which
8 they have to do is one of the most dif,i-
cult of diagnosis that either body or
1 mind is heir to. Often the person af-
flicted with this deceptive disease IL in
& such a condition that II is almost impos-
sible TO say positively that the subject
Is sane or insane. One may I've afflicted
with the disease, and appear to the or
+ dinary man sane and sensible On the
other hand there are sane men who are
burdened with peeuliarities and eccen-
tricities of conduct to such degree that
the line between sanity aud insanity
,seems to have been crossed.
FL There can be no doubt, however, that
I'm some respects medical experts are less
& able to Judge of the sanity of an indi-
A vidual, than common ordinary laymen
b who are familiar with the patients daily
shabits and conduct. There certainly Is
ga marked difference whether the disease
Il he treated from the standpoint of med
u icine or from the standpoint of the law.
= The insanity of a man under indict-
ss.nce of death, is frequently amutter for
investigation. The question of the moral
responsibility of the criminal very often
engages the attention of judges, juries
and lawyers, and even pardon boards
have been known to wrestle with such
a things. a man may be so unbalanced
in mind as 10 require the attention of n
physician, and yet his moral response
bility I've unquestioned. His knowl-
edge of. right and wrong would be
,inimpaired and he would I've answerable
to the law for his acts. From the stand
point which medical experts take, such
AL one could properly DE considered un-
sound of mind-could be adjudged in
sane. From the standpoint of law,
however, he could properly be con
sidered sane, for the purposes of the
punishment of his guilt, which he has
consciously and knowingly called down
upon himself.
Medical insanity is one thing and
what might be called legal insanity is
another thing In regard to the first
condition, which questions his need for
medical attention, physicians are UNI
doubtedly the best judges. In re-
gard TO the latter condition ot
mind, however, that which would re.
lieve the individual from all RESPONSE
bility for his acts, from being amenahl,
to the law, of this we assert physicians
and medical experts are not the bes
jaldges And they are not better quail
fed to give an opinion than any other
ordinarily sensible layman. Indeed il
L., "a. ,lxy al,
laymen, who come in daily contact will
the criminal seeking relief from punish
ment, and who observe his daily conduc
and habits and conversations, are th,
better judges.
For this reason il is that now judge
and juries more readily accept the tcsti
mony Of such lay witnesses when tn
criminal is on trial and seeks relief oi
the ground of insanity. Medical expert
start out with theory Of insanity an,
attempt TO construe all the acts and con
versations Of the criminal In contormit!
with that theory. This deductiv,
method involves n false principle
While on the other hand the testmon,
of laymen is given ON the theory of th'
inductive method of reasoning.
It fNlitlt w li'N'
the truth Of his theory by his interpre
tation of the various acts and words q
the criminal. The layman simply AM
sensibly asks if the acts of the crimina
are consistent with u knowledge of tn
difference between right and wrong
And when insanity is set up as an tx
cuse for the commission of The crime o
murder, or is urged as "A cause for com
muting sentence of death, the testimou,
ofjail keepers aud attendants, who Sc
the criminal every day, and are iamilia
with his daily habits of speech an,
action is by far the most valuable; an,
before such testimony the evidence @
medical experts, who never knew Tia
criminal, might I've dissipated like tn
mist before the morning sun.
There is no class of witnesses who ar
oftener condemned by law writers an,
judges than medical experts, and whel
they appear in courts Of justice an,
before pardon boards in behalf of guilt,
and convicted criminals they are iustl
and rightly condemned, There is sue
thing as medical insanity aud there
such thing as legal insanity and thcr
is vast difference between the two.