Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-24
INSANITY INCREASING
Peculiar Phases of Mental Disorders
That Have Been Noted.
TEMPTATIONS TO KILL SOME ONE.
Colonel A. B. Hayes Thinks There will be
Bloodshed Among Sioux.
TALKS ON QUITE A NUMBER OF TOPICS

The tragic manner in which Mrs. Coombs,
wife of Congressman.elect Coombs. of
Brooklyn, ended her life on Saturday, by
jumping from the top story OF the Pierre
pont Hotel to the street below caused more
than one reader of THE DISPATCH to shud-
der with horror yesterday. There is so
much of mystery in cases of this kind that
anything bearing upon the subject is usually
read with interest.
DR.. c. c. Wiley who for a number Of
years was physician at Dixmont, after
reading the facts inthe case said it was un-
doubtedly a case of suicidal insanity.
The fact of the woman's going deliberately
to the hotel, as she did, and using some
deception to secure a room on the top floor
OF the building, showed concIusively that
she had the desire to end her existence in
that way. and no other. She probably
would have taken it before had the oppor-
tunity been presented.
EXPERIENCES OF A PITTsBURGER.
On this point the doctor related many in
cidents, one of which was that of Dix
mont patient who suffered from both sui
cidal and homicidal mania. The gentle
man, who is we'll known in this city, after
ward recovered his mental faculties and
gave the doctor an account of the thoughts
he entertained during both periods, both of
which be thoroughly remembered. When
the desire siez ed him to end his life it was
to do so by jumping from some high place,
and nothing else would suffice. He watched
with the keenness of hawk for
an opportunity, and when it came
he leaped from a fourth story window,
breaking both ankles and receiving other
very severe injuries. He seemed to be able
to distinguish between right and wrong, but
the desire to make the leap was stronger
than his will, and irresistible.
After the mans recovery, while he was
confined at Dixmont he was seized with a
homicidal tendency, his desire being to kill
one of the keepers. He watched day aud
night for long time for an opportunity to
shed the lifebIood of his victim, until one
night he was left alone in the ward with
him. 1t was very qpiet all around, and
being somewhat drowsy, the attendant
leaned back in his chair against the wall
and dropped to sleep. Here was the chance,
and the. patient crept quietly to the
slumberer, but by one of those mysterious
conditions of the mind the only instrument
with which he could think OF killing his
victim was pick handle.
HAD TO HAVE A PICK HANDLE.
He could easily have Drained him with
chair. or, possibly, with the strength of a
maniac might have choked him to death,
but nothing would do but a pick handle,
and it seemed to him that be would will
inglv have laid down his life for such
weapon. He walked up and down the room
dozen times past the sleeping man, but
as the desired instrument of death was not
at hand, he abandoned the plot. There
were instances where the insane desire was
fixed and determined.
Sometimes, the doctor said, when people
of sound mind, but of a peculiar nervous
temperament, ascended great heights they
were seized with sudden impulses to jump
off. A friend of his on one occasion was as
scending the leaning tower of Pisa, when,
on looking below, overwhelming
desire took possession of him to leap to what
would have been certain death. The
struggle within him was terrible, and it was
only after supreme will effort that he
restrained himself. DR.. Hammond related
an incident of a Western trip on which he
had similar experience. Going through
Colorado the party came to one of the
farlous canyons that rise perpendicularly
for hundreds and hundreds of feet. He and
companion crawled to the edge of it, to
look below, when an ambition to plunge
headlong down came over him, until his
companion saw fit to interfere. Cases
similar to this might be cited without
number.
Many people, the doctor said, were abso-
lutely afraid to trust themselves at any
considerable height, in consequence. And
hora 0r nd ruhi
he considered important. He said that
in the higher stories of hotels
or other buildings, the top floors of which
were occupied, precautions should be taken
10 prevent possible tragedies by protecting
the lower parts of the windows by heavy
screens, or making them safe in some other
manner.
SUICIDE ON THE INCREASE.
Speaking of the subject of suicide in a
general way, the doctor remarked that it
was entirely too comprehensive to be treated
| thoroughly, or even generally, in newspaper
articles 1t was constantly on the increase
with the march OF civilization, due to many
causes that could be scientifically traced.
Morselli. professor of psychological medicine
in the Royal University at Turin, Italy,
and many more scientists had demonstrated
beyond a doubt that the number of suicides
| the sun. The maximum number was
reached in the transition from winter to
| spring, while the minimum was during the
change from fall to winter. The frst-named
writer had also demonstrated that the area
of Europe, where the greatest number OF sui
cides took place. was in the territory be-
tween the northeast border OF France and
the East OF Germany, between the degrees
of latitude from AZ to 81, and the degrees of
longitude of 90 10 40. The minimum was
to be :ound north and south OF these limits.
Query also demonstrated that majority
of suicides took place during the first ten
days of the month. and that more occurred
on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday than
during the rest of the week.
Morselli declares "that instead of speak
ing of spontaneity or moral freedom. it is
time to introduce into psychology, either
collectively or individually, the idea that
suicide is the evident function of an organ,
the brain, subject to many external and in
! ternal influences, which constantly rule the
whole constitution of man." DR.. Wiley.
said that under this definition it was plain
to be seen that the subject was too broad for
brief treatment. as it could be extended to
almost any limit.
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