The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-05-28
4 Discussion BY Eminent Neurolo-
gists of Mental Malformation
and Responsibility.
Suggested BY the Brutal Murders
Committed BY the Arch
Nsnd Deeming.
Many CrimiNAlsa Morally Irrssponsibls'
but society = Protect Itself by
killing Them " Necessary.

the attention sf tho scientific world quit'
a. much as they have Mortified vi.
general public. The men who stud,
nervous disease and trace the con
nection between them and abnorma
conduct ara making the subject OF mora
insanity one Of the most important ques-
tions OF the time. Some OF thom-Dr
Henry Maudsley, for instance--insist that
there 10 such a thing 40 criminal nsurosis-
that is, such a diseased, impaired or defect
suits inevitably in crime, iust % certain
conditions ofthe nervous ,lEissua rssaltFin
insanity and others in epilepsy.
The New York Academy OF Medicine
lately passed resolutions against capita
punishment on the ground that IL was i'm
possible to determine the moral rssponsi-
bility Of criminals during the brief time Of
siudicial trial.
Dr.. Allan Mclean Hamilton, who ID one
o. the foremost authorities in tho United
States on nervous diseases and medico-legal
subjects, was asked these questions, with
reference to DseminQ and his sarssr:
"Can science prove the existence of the
criminal nsurosis2 and, il 80, to what sx-
tent 10 the criminal afflicted with such .
diseased organization responsible for his
crimes?"
There 10. certainly" replied DR.. hamil-
ton, . strongly marked criminal type,
recognizable by physical psesliaritiss. N
which moral responsibility IL greatly les
sened. and in extreme cases disappears a.
entirely az 1t does in extreme GASES of
lunaoy. I do not think, however, that
r. sc.; ~ - ~ na,rruloS 10 r,nitA fh& NrONAp kArna
to apply to such cases, althonghsit has been
used BY some writer's IN this subject. Il
cannot be said positively that such moral
deoeneracy 10 the result OF, functional dis
turbance in the nerve element. TIT sub
jsct 10 . very broad one. OF the greatest
attention Of some OF the foremost invoAti-
gators Of nervous diseases and in their
social relations-such - Lambrosso, in
Italy; Hayelock. Ellis and others.
!. ''The criminal typo 10 marked by pecu-
~liarities in the shape of the head. which is
apt to be mar ow and angular; BY large and
prominent ears, All expression Of low Gun
ming and the symmetric head and face.
There are among such people all degrees Of
moral responsibility. do not believe nv
self in moral insanity that is not ACCOM-
panied BY some degree OF mental disease Or
defoct. True, there have bsen great Grim
inals who have possessed keen intsllscts,
but their mental qualities have always been
more or less peculiar and developed mainly
in the line of cunning and schemine-ths
DEVELOPMENT that would naturally result
from the constant use Of their faculties in
criminal ways. @{@i y.%G#.
Persons marked by this moral degener-
acy are apt to be tho result of intermarriage
among criminals and ~drunksrds, which,
continued through generations. is simply =
cultivation of the criminal type. The REQ
ord Of the Jukes family shows what it
lu.Jr a. Tl,>E .-,~ra1 ncuAif1 w,hnn -
breaks out in q family not previously
marked by criminal tendencies, may be the
result of some injury to the brain, caused
by disease, a blow on the head or severe
mental shock.
II have not made a close study of Deem
reports, he seemed to belong to the extreme
criminal type. just what his degree of
moral responsibility was could not be deter
mined without more accurate knowledge of
the man and his history. His crimes do
not seem to bs the result of morbid sexual
impulses. which are often the cause OF such
murders-as was probably the case with
Jack the Ripper. II that man is sver
caught he will be found, I believe, to be a
nun Of keen intelligente. Deeming, on
the other hand. appeared TO possess inferior
mental qualities, somewhat of the sneaking
order. His sexual vanity. shown by his
boasting in the court room that no could
have his pick of the women in the audience
for a wife, was not an evidence of morbid
impulses. Il is one of the charaoteristles
of the criminal type.
But before it would be possible to say
anything very definite about the degree Of
the mans moral insanity, and therefore of
his moral responsibility also, it would be
necessary to know what his anteoedents
were, his inheritance of criminal tenden-
cies, the life he has lived and the crimes he
has committed heretofore. His case vas a
very interesting one. and one which will
probably throw some light on the question
Of moral insanity if his history can be
made plain.
''The question Of what is to be done with
who show moral degenvracy to such
a degree that they are nearly if not quite
irresponsible is one OF tho puzzling
problem. Of sociology :. The least that can
to protect itself from them just a. it has the
right to protect itself from mad dogs. / do
believe that any good 10 taccomplished1
by sending habitusl criminals OF any sort
prison for short periods, whether they
are thieves, alcoholics. vsgabonds or sub
bv nature, and their criminal tendencies
will be strengthened by their prison associu-
When they come out, society has
moro to foar from them than it had before.
All that their imprisonment has accom-
plished has been to buy . brief immunity,
AVAiOWCA dltOE ny $E0kbeE DANGER
I'm my opinion, the best way to deal with
Bhe question is to approach it on the sido
Of prevention. Tn state should have the
to forbid the marriage of those per-
lons whose physical natures or mental
characteristics are ssch as breed criminals.
II should forbid tho marriage of habitual
of persons of insane heritage and
Of c~cnsumptives. Further than that, hsbi-
lual criminals should be prevented from
children altogether.
"Of course 1t would be impossible for the
state to make use of such measures now.
it will probably be q long time before
men will sse that they are necessary. For
moral deRenoraoy gets we'll started in q
its progress cannot be stopped in
any other way than by stopping the brCed-
ing of the family.
''To r certain extent nature does that
for the tendency Of all moIstrosi-
lies. moral ~ we'll as physical, ia toward
Nsturs does her best toward rid
ling herself of such foulnssa, but hsr pro-
Jess 10 slow. and it 10 hindered by the fire.
luent introduction of fresh blood. People
u criminal families intsrmatry with these
II clean ancestry, and the criminal stock
gets q now lease of life from the strong and
addition. No. nature needs
deal Of help in the wedding out pro-
II society is to get from it any apprs-
benefit.
''1hs cultivation of the criminal type
the intsrmarriaRe and breeding. Of
10 shown, TO q certain extent, By
he change in the character Of crime daring
he last century. Many crimes, such 10
highway roel cry, demanding personal coar-