The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-25

BDfenu OF laughter OF tears IN q crown
Thus. besides hereditary taint we have
this important factor " unconscious imlta.
ton needed for the perfect evolution OF In.
sanity in several people.
Another and possibly more important
factor Is the character OF the deusional
state. There is an essential difference In
the contagiousness OF ideas. depending al
together upon their probability. The more
| probable the idea. the moro ensily will II
be believed In by others. A deluslon OF
| grandeur, such as that one Is the King of
| Great Britain or the Son OF Con. Is not
| likely to he imposed upon another person.
because such nn idea wears no mir OF prob
| ability, although IL Is truo that even as
| founding dclusions OF this nature have
within a century or two been thoroughly
believed In by great masses of credit
lous people A suspicion Of ono kind or
another, that ono has enemies, for In ID.
stance. most easily receives crcdcnco bo-
cause the element OF suspicion Is inher-
ent In the nature OF most people. and
because suspicion may evince so much
probability OF truth. Therefore IL Is. that
delusion OF persecution Is apparently
the most infectious Of insane idees.
The Infectious quality Is tho greater.
tho more weak minded and illitcrnto Is
the person brought into contact with II.
A persecutofy delusion might be imposed
by an insane person upon an intimate ASSOC
ciate, and yet the latter need not OF neces-
sty be insane. II Is only when the exposed
individual adopts the delusiUn as his own.
allows it to become rooted In his mind, and
regulates his conduct upon it. that he also
is to be considered insane These are in
brief, the reasons why. given two or moro
women. sisters. with n hereditary faint,
living In more or less seciusion. rather
elderly. considerably ike in their thoughts
and conduct one developing delusons OF
persecution. the other can hardly escape a
similar catastrophe.
But although this form OF communicated
insanity is the most usual In our modern
civilization. 1t sometimes happens In OBJ
scure communities that decisions OF another
character, the grandiose. become dlsseni-
mated even more widely than fixed ideas OF
persecutory nature In this instance. how
ever. the belief in the deluslon OF grandeur
by many people Is not so much an evidence
OF insanity rs an index of the ignorance aud
superstition OF q community. Thus the in
sane woman, JOANNA SouTHcoTr who about
a century ago. claimed that she at the ago
OF GO years was to give birth to the Messiah.
is said to have obtained following OF
nearly hundred thousand people in Eng
land who believed In her: and false prophets.
like RICHARD BROTHERS and JOHN THoMs
OF Canterbury. have been quite as success
full. Perhaps such propagandists would |
nowadays find little success In establishing |
new faiths In tho more civilized portions OF |
Europe or Ia America. but in other regions. |
such as Arabia. the Soudan, and North AZ |
RIGA. every year or two we hear of the uprs- |
Ing OF n newprophetinspire by COP to bring |
peace and prosperity to mankind. II Is only |
about year ago. however. that there was
u very extraordinary instance OF such a
In the province of Kiev In Rus
STA. A poor shoemaker In Il small hamlet
left his orthodox religion to become q Stun
dist. He was a good orator. and gradually
DEVELOPED insanity. believing himself to be
inspired by Heaven. When no prayed he
felt himself floating in the air. and sur
by an agreeable perfume which
he said was the odor OF the Holy
Ghost. In brief. he won proselytes
by the hundreds in his own and
neighboring villages. The people gave up
to give to the poor. prayed
wildly In the churches. and. indeed. reached
such a state Of insane exaltation that the
Gar sent u commission TO inquire into and
put an end to the movement One OF the
commission was an expert In insanity. aud
has written an interesting report OF the
disorder. Many OF the followers OF this
unatic were found also to be insane, claim
nG to float In the air. and to perceive tho
emanations from tho Holy Ghost.
The epidemic OF insanity could be put an end
% only by sending numerous persons to
lsylums and prisons. and by deportations
II affected citizens.
We have quantities OF the material for
'uch epidemics in all OF our asylums,
where all sorts Of divinities and inspired
prophets are congregated IN largo numbers;
md. unfortunately, evidence is not wanting
II the existence OF susceptible subjects In
considerable numbers outside o; asylums.