The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-20
MAKING A CRIMINAL
AN OPERATION THAT LET THE BUMP
OF ACaUISITIvENEss GROW.
An Interesting Case in Medical Sci.
ence Which Sounds @Fishy," Be-
ing Told by a "Drummer.o
Detroit Free Press.

Detroit Free Press.
d you think criminality is a disease?''
remarked the m to the hotel clerk.
"'Course not" said the clerk; lit is an
acquired habit, and there wouldn't be any
criminals if children were trained right"
That's what you think, but sit down
there where you will be comfortable and
I'll tell you something"
1t was after midnight, and as the clerk
hadn't anything else TO do he accepted the
invitation and sat down.
mot a great while ago. went on the
drummer, II was in an Eastern city. and
it happened that 1 had a package of sam
pies stolen by a boy on the street. 1
caught him in the act, and a policeman be-
ing on the spot, for a wonder, 1 turned the
thief over to him and agreed to appear
against the boy, just to teach him a les
SON. The next morning / was in the Police
Court on time, and there l was met by a
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 a statement
to the court 1t was granted, and he said:
May it please the court, 1 want to as
sumo responsibility for this ~offense, and for
a number of Others of a similar character.
which 1 understand the accused has com-
mitted within the past year.
Naturally, the judge was surprised. and.
Of course, he wanted an explanation, and
the physician was ready and willing to
furnish it.
Your Honor he said, until something
more than a year ago this boy was as
correct a boy as any / ever knew. OF good
parentage and excellent training. there is
no reason why he should not have been
CO Tuv1 x~1a-o 49, r. --,rtosn- a, $500
accident by being thrown from a bicycle,
in which his skull was fractured directly
on that spot which psychologists have deS-
tgnated as the bump of acquisitiyeness 1
examination discovered that the only thing
to be done was to remove a part of the
skull end trephine the fracture. This I
did, exposing a considerable area OF the
brain The trephining, however, was quite
successful, and 1 had the pleasure in a
few weeks OF seeing my patient once more
on his feet, and, TO all intents and purposes,
as well as ever, or very likely TO be very
soon. AT this time, and until several months
later, nothing unusual 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 eus-
pected at first, but one day his mother
caught him in the act, and he was pun
i5hed. 1 may add that at this time he was
perhaps thirteen years old. His parents were
greatly grieved over this discovery. and
afterwards kept a close watch on him. The
habit. however, seemed TO be growing on
B cAA III " = - EtAO
in vain. They even went SO far as to have
their pastor talk to him. but that did no
good. One day they were painfully
shocked by his arrest for a theft Of trifing
character. The matter was settled as qui-
city as possible, and it was hoped that this
would be a lesson to him. 1t made abso-
lutely, no difference, and the boy went
from bad to worse. What he has stolen no
one can tell, for he is as cunning as a fox
in his work, as a rule, nor is it known
what he does with his stealings unless he
has hidden them away somewhere. Ten
6qVG % fhQ "a Ga mi niFpnftU 70 n
notice by a theft from my own house. I
had heard, of course, of what they boy
to think / had anything TO do with it.
The parents came to me when the theft
occurred at my house, ana IN the tax
that, perhaps. l could offer an explana-
ton. 1 said nothing to them, but sent for
the boy and made an examination of the
while / had saved the boys life, / had
also given his bump of acquisitiveness an
that it was growing greater every day. L
did not reach this conclusion def
ana this is the first Opportunity I have as1
had to make an explanation of what
to those who knew the boy previously, is
Having made this explanation, / wish to
assume the responsibility for the boys
acts, and as the prosecuting witness is
willing not to appear against my patient,
1 would ask TO have him discharged. His
parents have agreed to let me perform an,
~ III AAAas a44 n ~
that l can render him a 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 a prison,
for steal he must and steal he will. until
his offense becomes such that he will go
to the penitentiary, where his opportunities
may be minimized, but his desire to steal
will continue to grow"
Well" concluded the drummer, this
sort of thing knocked out the court and
everybody else. but the prisoner was turned
over to the physician as his patient. and
he took him away with him to a hospital,
where he said the operation was TO be per-
formed at once. That was a year ago. To-
day 1 met the physician on the street here.
and the first thing / asked him about was
the boy. He smiled all over and told me
that ever since the operation the boy had
been steadily improving. and for two
months past he had stolen nothing, al
though the temptation was constantly put
in his way by his orders.
81 think he said as we parted. that
the boy is entirely cured, and hereafter,
when / have any trephining to do, l shall
keep an eye on the bumps and not make
a patient either better or worse than ma
ture intended"
Ivory knife handles that have grown yell