The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-11-30
Wassern1an, Davis s CO.

is fully aware Of the crime she has been
guilty of. OF course, there is sometimes
good deal of method in it. There are
method and cunning in mad people, and
this is why one finds capacious pockets
in the clothing of kleptomaniacs."
"What are the maladies with which
kleptomania is generally Identified"
sit is often associated with physical
weakness and disorder of the nervous
system, besides hysteria, which l have
already mentioned. There is also no
doubt about its being hereditary, the
! same as ordinary crime. / heard the
other day, by the way. of family, ten
members of which, beside the parents,
were convicted thieves"
'Is it your experience that klepto-
maniacs suffer from other forms of moral
! Insanity"
THE mania for stealing is form of
| moral insanity in itself. \ person may
| be very wealthy and not the least addicted
| to extravaganza, and yet she will secrete
| comparatively worthless pieces Of silk
and even bits of bread from the table.
Are there any conditions of abnormality?
Yes, / think so. 1t is often seen in con-
formations of the head, accompanied by
weak ness OF intellect. Those who are ill
organized or of rickety and scrofuIous
constitution frequently exhibit such pro-
pensities. Pinel, one OF the greatest au-
thorities Of former days in mental dis
orders, especially draws attention to the
fact that some maniacs who in their lucid
intervals are justly considered models of
probity cannot refrain from stealing and
cheating. Call again mentions tie case
of two persons confined in an asylum at
Vienna who, becoming insane, were dis
tinuished in the hospital for their OK
traordinary propensity to STEAL though
previously they had lived lrreproach-
able lives. They wandered about the
house from morning till night picking
across, not even disdaining rags, clothes
and straw. This sort OF thing is very
com mon in lunatic asylums."
"At what age does kleptomania gen.
orally show itself?"
THAT quite depends on circumstances,
but it rarely breaks out before the age of
adolescence, except in persons who are
absolutely lmbeclls or insane on the
surface"
"Is it really possible to distinguish be-
tween a genuine case of kleptomania and
one of stealing pure and simple? Is
there any hard-and-fast rule TO dlstin-
euish between willful stealing ana KEEP
tomanlaY
Certainly, it is possible to distinguish
between two such cases. Speaking for
myself, l have adjudged on hundreds of
kleptomaniacs, and l have no reason to
believe that have over declared q case to
be one OF kleptomanla when it was one of
ordinary theft.
"As for any hardand-fast rule, that is
exceedingly difficult 10 define, even if
there is any, which l question. Each
case differs so much in its nature aud
surroundings that there is no line laid
down TO guide us in our opinion. Each
case must be judged on its merits, if L
may use such an expression in connec-
ION with kleptomania. There is no law
regulating any one complaint and the
same remark applies to kleptomania. |
might mention, however, the hereditary
side OF the matter, the absence of motive
the absurdity often of what has been
stolen, the history and the antecedents
of the victim, the existence of
fits. the presence or absence OF de-
lusons, the general mental condition,
whether excited or depressed. whether
of quiet and moody disposition, of a
Jealous or suspicious nature, whether
liable to acts of extravaganza, whether
the feelings and thoughts are SO diSor-
dered as TO incapacitate from the ordi-
nary vocations OF lifa-all these phases
must be Investigated in drawing con-
clusion, and it is often most exhaustive
business. Lastly, there is the i'm
portant question, is there any heredi-
tary insanity in the family and what is
its nature? AS | have just said, steal
ing is hereditary both among those re-
sponsible and those in whom the plea
of responsibility is raised, therefore
The question OF heredity plays most
important part in the process of eXamin-
alton. 1t is also necessary, by the way, to
inquire whether there is any liability TO
blind impulses, which can be neither
regulated nor controlled" -New York
World.