The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-26
CLUB CURE FOR INSANITY
4 PIECE OF RoUGH SURGERY THAT
SURPRISED TUE DOCTORS.

iNli WIN hAS "hiNS hASNNh hNN cNth
a number of cases where men apparently hope
loss!y insane have recovered their mental hal
anco BY more accident. About n year and n half
ego. though. q cure was effected In the most re-
markablo fashion / have ever heard Of, and !
have boon studying diseases OF the mind ror
moro than forty years.
at has been my practice for some time -
spend three or four months out OF each year NJ
ono Of the biggest insane asSlums IN the state.
They have about $500 patients in tho institus
ton. and the opportunities for studying the
various phases OF dementia nrc uncxcellcd.
Nearly two years ago ! shut M shop here md
made my accustomed trip to the asylum. which
is about 200 miles from this city apd situated on
| top of n mountain overlooking some Of the finest
scenery in this State. My friend DIR. Wells, the
superintendent, greeted me cordially, and in
response 10 my inquiry ms to whether no had
anything moro than usually interesting said:
"'No, unless Mr.. Blank will nmuso you
"Mr. Blank turned out TO DO n handsome,
stalwnrt nan. He was In one OF the pay wards,
ana was allowed TO indulge his slightest wbini.
He had been a prosperous man-was, in fact, at
that time wealthy. and the owner of u large
business. Some months before his incarcera.
ton In tho asylum he had shown signs OF in
sanity and had boen sent to n sanitarium. There
he was nurscd back into apparent sanity and
resumed life where he had left of. In less than
two months he made an attempt to kill his wife
and committed other acts of violence. He was
examined by a number of experts, who pro-
nouncei him hopclessly insane and advised his
immediate incarceration in the asylum which
am In tho habit of visiting.
well. l found Mr.. Blank an exceedingly in
t~eresting patient. He had bad spells and good
spells, and when not violent was n splendid
subject 10 study. There was apparently no rea:
son for his insanity: Careful examination had
his ancestry and his, own mohe OF lie showed
NOTHING, to explain his condition. For a Dozen
ferod from any mental disorder. and his own
lite was an exemplary one, He WAS ,s addicted hn d. to
ness interests to absorb him SO as to break him
down. Plainly. he was not a pHretic; IN view OF
"In his moments OF violence he was one of the
wSwEs5 pTtf ba w ! h%vf bn STer th see Recp s,Ton aFo% Snd
hold him in, but i was next TO- impossible to get
the %gcntlest. most cultivated men have ever
seen when rational. don't think he ever quite
with him, but sometimes you, could talk to him
by the hour on topics OF the day and he would
sign of his trouble.
ITO guard this man the snperintcndent of the the
Jack for convenience, Jack was a big, good
naturcd fellow. who had handled lHnsties for
He was fearless and had REM kablc control Of
his temper. a charn cteristic which made him an
exceedingly valuable man. In all his expert
cnce, though, l don't believe jack had ever had
to handle so tough a patient as Mr.. Blank. why,
Blank would tackle him UNEXPECTEDLY. and
without a word of warming plant u biz fist In his
eye or on his nose. Jack used to quit Ct night
red and swollen. The beatings that man took were
something remark ab ~, ind |, ] ! h used , to be n s2rEE
hive been some happy moments in the job: bit
the rule against striking patients was rigidly
enforced in the asylum. and not only would ~
} keeper who broke 1t be discharged but he would
also be prosecuted in court. The keepers were
n mixture that would send n patient into a
trance in two minutes i properly injected; This
and sometimes they Would be horribly mnuied
; before they got a chance I'M w TO- Use 1 it: went into
Blanks room to see how he was getting along.
: We found Blank sitting in one corner with a
! Ing over The sink alternately. bathing his right
t eye With cold water ,Is and TSipinEs Z. blood blood Wh BIZ Il
!. II short order; While we wore standing there:
IN the face = With h'I terrific force. We'll. I
!; MANS face 9"s in S"i my life as 1sG That Which &C came into
J the Keepers at that moment. He gave a roar
ncr Of tho room. cracked the lunatic over tho
!. head with 1t with. tremendous force. DR..
: we w ev We're "" too 'l! late. Blank threw up both hands
i and sank in n heap IpG Or 1T the Sh fi"o r. t J"fk ka stsgg SS;Id
Or. Wells and picked Blank up and carried
. had about as bad a fracture OF tho skull as I
$ dition. Then Dr. Wells turned to the keeper.
8 who was still standing in the corner; coma
y mighty near to Killing This innn. BY your get
8 you have disgraced the asylum and me. I'm
z quenccs. You're suspended for tho present. but
q don! leave the grounds' .., on.os .,nn. =,
returning consciousness: II was n blessing for
poor Jack that his life was spared. but we
mercy had he died. Now comes the remarkable
part Of It all, AS Blank improved. We noticed
face. The old Took, Of, ferociiiy and the far
away expression which he wore alternately
place was a puzzled look. butn sign Of insanity,
IS One Of his first questions when he was strong
le What has happened to me! Have l been
I'VE told him he had met with nm accident
10 he would K know ovcrything.' we said. Then The
re- "Weiis. said i, 40 You realize that a change
20 has come over Blank don't believe hes in
L nit himself TO that extent, but could see hi
Or well. Blank recovered rapidly. and when h,
3. was able TO sit IN he demanded to see his wifi
8. and also to know whcrc he was and why nc W
e. e eVersi + he scnt for Dr. i "" and n,
y SO I'VE been insane; en- he soih; Immd hnt
Of But. GOOD heavens he continued, you don
a think I'm insane now; d2yo1r m ,, ,,.,o
cr your own best interests YOU had better spcnt
Us another month with us. Insane, YOU are not
to safe man TO he at large. 4 month VIII establish
er We'll, he stayed a month and never showed
ir sign of insanity during that time. He wa
to closely watched. but as far as VIC could sec va
On as well balanced ns We were. Meantime. DR.
CO Wells and l cast about tor an explanation OF III
Ii remarkable recovery. We had npdc n Clrcfl
is examination Of the fracture, y tier n stud
IS; OF tho case from the bcginnis concluded tina
US jacks blow was responsible for ttc whole thing
w Blanks insanity was due TO a clot q
blood on The brain. What caused "
mt never troubled to find out. but ms long rs ii wa
es there Blanks insanity was assured. a surgicH
re- operation for It's removal would have killed hin
cy in all probability. But when Jack, in his b'in'
en- rage, picked up that chair runR he banged BIan
in just the right spot. The blow broke the clio
and transformed Bank from O raving mania
into n well balanced man.
We'll. ut the proper time we told Blank hoi
II had nil happened. The man was crazy VT.
ce Joy. He realized that but FOR tir lack i've W.
have died in n mndhouse. he gave %hT,-'