The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-27
SOME TYPES OF INSANITY.
How Almost Any Kind of Crankiness
May Be Classified.
From the New York sun,

From the New York sun.
At the Post-Graduate Medical School
few days ago, well known professor of
nervous and mental diseases, who testified
as an expert at the trial of Mrs Fitzger-
aid for the murder of Mrs. Pearsau, de-
livered a lecture on insanity in its rela-
tion to homicide, during which he alluded
to Mrs. Fitzgerald's case.
The various types of insanity, said he
all breed homicides, but some more than
Others. His classification of the various
forms of insanity was as follows, and any
phase of mental disorder he said, would
be found to ut under one head or the
other: Mania, melancholia, dementia,
peranoia and paresis
The victims of melancholia are most
subject To homocide or suicidal outbreaks
Paretics are least to be feared. Nolan
cholia is often the result of some bodily
ailment. or disappointed ambition NAV
cause this morbid and dangerous state of
mind. Under the head of ''melancholian
place Mrs. Fitzgerald.
Insane homicidal outbreaks could not
occur IN perfectly healthy persons. They
might be apparently sane, and be sud
denly seized with an irresistible impulse
to kill some one or to commit suicide, but
there must be a groundwork of melan-
| chOlia or some other unhealthy mental
state to incite this passion.
Doctors now declare, the professor
! continued. that there is no such thing as
emotional insanity: l believe the word
was not used at all during the Fitzgerald
trial, and doubt II any expert would take
! the stand and testify that such a condi-
ton as emotional insanity ever exists.
| "Paranoia is a word of such wide appli-
cation that it may be worn out in the en-
deavor to make it cover the thousand and
one varieties of mild and explosive Cranks
! "Parapola is very good word TO use, -
said the professor to the young doctors,
''as it enables you TO classify your cranky
| acquaintances. MonOmania is the older
name for the same pecullarities. The CON
dition often manifests itself by fear of
| going to some particular place. by dread
of crossing a street, or similar eccentrici-
ties. The subject is usually possessed Of
a single deluSion; perhaps has an eXag-
gerated idea of his own greatness, or is
about to convulse the world by a wonder
| full invention. There is frequently, too
some physical peculiarity-as a tad
shaped head or peculiar shaped ears or
deGormity of the jaws
The professor grouped the paranoacs
together under several heads-paranoia
reigiosa, the crank who talks and thinks
of nothing but religion; paranoia invento-
ria, the victim of which is full of foolish
| schemes, a crank of the Col. Sellers type a;
paranoia htigosia, or litigious paranoiacs,
who are forever bringing suits in the
courts, frequently for the most trivial
| causes.
'.Cranks of this kind" said the profess
sor, ARE. l believe, more numerous in
Europe than the United States, though
the west produces good many. In one
notable instance whole county was en-
gagged in fight over a turkey in which a
few dollars were at stake.
Under the head of paranoia reforma-
! toria comes a more obnoxious class of mo-
nomaniacs-pohtical offenders, anarchists
| and bomb-thrOwerS, who are convinced
that only by the murder of few crowned
heads, princes, presidents, senators and
millionaires and the destruction of prop
| erty can the existing state OF affairs be
changed for the better" .
Guiteau, the professor mentioned as one
Of the extraordinary cases of homicidal
paranoia. Prendergast, the murderer of
Mayor Harrison, was another.
From mania" all types of insanity may
develop. Excftability and a generally
happy, careless frame of mind
characterize this phase of lun-
acy though the mental state
of the victims runs the whole gamut of
the emotions Homicidal and suicidal
Outbursts are frequent. 4-
DCLuCuIld ID u SOiI6Wudb dangerous
form of insanity Its victims have no
mind at all, are morbid and morose, but
are subject to homicidal attacks.
Paretics are generally harmless. PA
resis is a product of modern civilization, -
said the professor. Il don't know of q
happier lot Of people than are the paretics
for time Their imagination is exceed
ingly vivid they have boundless wealth,
in their minds or have a remarkable in
vention which they are about to give to
the world. This blissful state of things
continues for while, then the patients
become apathetic, rarely dangerous"
Regarding the responsibility of the in
sane, the professor believed that para
noiacs should be punished for their
crimes. The anarchist monomaniacs of
the Guiteau stripe are very unpleasant
! people to have about, and he thinks few
of them should be hanged, the others
locked up or eXiled.
| Il hope some time" said he, "to see
| them all corraled and transported to a
distant sea island, where they can COM
municate with the rest Of the world but
once year. They should have no rum
nor tobacco, they shonld be fed by fruits
, and vegetables and they should not be
! allowed to breed, and thus be gradually
eXterminated. This colonization of para
, noiacs may be a scheme of the future"