Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-07-20
MADEHIMACRIMINAE,
AN OPERATION THAT HAD AN uNFoR-
 TUNATE EFFECT.

A Boys Hump of Acquisitivencss Grew Ab-
 normally After He Was Trcphined-But
 the Surgeon Stood All the Blame and
 Corrected the Error.
 Do you think criminality is dis sase:" asked the drummer of the hotel clerk
 Course not" said the clerk. Ut is an acquired habit, and there wouldn't be any criminals if children were train ed right
 That's what you think, but sit down there where you will be comfort able, and I'll tell you something"
 It was after midnight, and as the clerk hadn't anything else to do he ac- cepted the invitation and sat down.
 Mot a great while ago, ," went on the drummer, II was in an eastern city, and it happened that had a package of samples stolen by boy on the street I caught him ill the act, and a police man being on the spot, for wonder, l turned tho thief over to him and agreed to appear against the boy, just to teach him lesson. The next morning l was in the police court 'on time, and there was met by physician, who told me something which led me to leave the case to him. When the boy was called, the physician appeared with him and desired to make statement to the court. It was granted, and he said:
 May it please the court, want to assume responsibility for this offense and for a number of others of n similar character, which I understand the ac- cused has committed within the past year.
 "'Your honor, he said, until some- thing more than a year ago this boy was as correct a boy as any I ever knew. Of good parentage and excellent training. there is no reason why he should not have been so. Two years ago he sus- tained a severe accident by being thrown from q bicycle, ill which his skull was fractured directly on that spot which phrenologists have designated as the bump of acquisitivCnCss. 1 was called in to treat the case, and upon examina- tion discovered that the only thing to be done was to remove q part of tho skull and trephiuo the frfrturc. This I did, exposing n considerable area of the brain. The trephining however, was quite successful, and had the pleasure in a few weeks of seeing my patient once more on his feet, and to all intCnts and purposes as well as ever, or very likely to be soon. At this time, and un- til several months later, nothing un- usual was noticed about the boy, but after several months it was observed that he began to purloin small things about the house. He was not suspected at first, but one day his mother caught him Tn the act. and he was punished. l may add that at this time he was per i haps l3 years old. His parents were greatly gTievc1 over this discovery and afterward kept q close watch on him. The habit. however, seemed to be grow ing on him, and all their efforts to check it were in vain. They even went so far as to have their pastor talk 10 him, but that did no good. One day they were painfully shocked by his ar rest for a theft of tTifling character. The matter was settled as quietly as possible, and it was hoped that this would be lesson to him. It made ab- solutcly no difference, and the boy went from bad to worse. What he has stolen no one can tell. for he k as cunning as fox in his work, d. rule. nor is it known what he does with his stoalingS unless he has hidden them sumvwhcrc. Ten days agn the case came directly to my notice by theft from my own house. had heard. of course. oI what the boy had been doing, hut il dil Hut occur to me to think had anything to do with it.
 '' The parents CaI:lo tn nlc when the theft occUrrcd at my house, and in the talk about their boy the suggestion struck me that perhaps I could offer all explanation. l said nothing to them, but sent for tho boy and made an exam ination of the trcphincd fracture and discovered that while I had saved the boys life I had also given his bump of acquisitivcness an opportunity to dcvcl- op abnormally, and that it was growing greater every day. 1 did not reach this conclusion definitely until day or two ago, and this is the first opportunity I have had to make an explanation of what, to those who knew the boy pre- viously. is remarkable case of moral rctrOgresSion. Having made this ex- planation. l wish tn assume the rcSpon- sibility for tho boys acts, and as the prosecuting witness is willing not tu appear against my patient 1 would ask to have him discharged. His parents have agreed to let mo perform another operation on him, and 1 feel assured that I can render him q service which will make an honest man of him. As he now is he will continue to grow worse, and there Is nothing before him except q prison, for steal he will until his offcnsc becomes such that he will gC to the penitCntiary. where his opportu. mites may be miMimizcd, but his desire to steal will coutinuc to grow
 Well" concluded the drummer, "this sort of thing Lnuckcd out the court and everybody ClsC but the prison. er was turned over to the physician as his patient, and he took him away with him to hospital, where he said tho op eration was to be performed at once That was year ago Today met tn; physician on the street herc and tho first thing I asked him about wsls tn, boy. He smiled all over and told mt that ever since tho operation the boz had been steadily improving, and fol two months past he had stolen nothing ] although the temptation was constantly put in his way by his orders
 "I think he said as wc parted
 that the boy is entirly cured, and here after when 1 have any trephining to d; shall keep an eye on the bumps an' , not make patient either better CT wors than nature intended. "-Dctroit Ere B Press.
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