The Anaconda standard., 1899-06-09

are conspiring against him. Delusions
of hearing are common; he hears the
voices of his enemies talking against
him. threatening to kill him, etc. Wis.,
ual hallucinations are also present. Cir
cumstantial accounts of assaults and
often robbery, with details founded on
delusions, may be given which have
absolutely no foundation in fact. On
the other hand, the individual may ac
cuse himself of homicidal acts or other
wise, which were clearly not commit
ted
DO you agree with that statement,
and is it a correct expose of chronic
alcoholism or alcoholic dementa?"
asked Mr.. Corbett
The doctor said that in part the rule
laid down in the last quotation was
correct, but that it wrongly assumed
that chronic alcoholism and alcoholic
dementia were synonymous terms. The
first is a chronic condition, while the
other is special form of insanity. A
condition of chronic alcoholism is not
necessarily accompanied by alcoholic
dementia. though under the latter con-
dition there is necessarily chronic al
coholism. The definition in the book
applies only to cases that have reached
a certain stage, and alcoholic dementia
often follows chronic alcoholism.
lie uGHlGHlld III CIlIblAC CdoCS lioS
a tendency to remain permanent, even
after the removal of all opportunities
of obtaining ALCOHOL read Var. Cor
bett, and asked:
rs that statement correct?'
1T is as far as it goes" sand DIR.
Pershing. IF dementia is ever present
in case of chronic alcoholism it re-
mains"
Mr.. Corbett then produced a new
work on mental diseases by w. Be-
van Lewis, and the witness said that
while it was not a standard work, 1t
was held in high respect by the pro-
fession and that Bevan Lewis was an
original worker. From this book Mr..
Corbett read as follows to the witness:
Ordinary consecutive dementia,
however, presents us with ca progress
sively advanced enfeeblement of mind,
a complete change in the disposition
and character of the patient, lack of
interest in former pursuits and asso-
Citations, an incapacity for any form
of mental effort, a tendency to an au-
tomato routine in his habits of life,
and a notable bunting of the emo
tlons. Maniacal or melancholic states
occasionally return, and betray, in d
marked degree, the incoherence of
thought and the enfeeblement of the
mental faculties; but. subsequent to
such attacks, the mental weakness
continues to advance until it issues in
complete faulty Yet we find great di-
versity in the progress of individual
cases; in many the advent of such a
mental void, as we have just allud-
ed to, only comes after a very prolong-
ed life during which they show no
mental perturbations, but an apathy
and indifferentism, a lack of initiative
which renders supervision necessary to
provide them with the wants of life;
others take a more genial interest in
their surroundings, but yet are child
ish in their actions, are doc,le and cas-
lily led, but subject to great instabil-
ity if annoyed: in others, again. the
brutalizing of their nature Is more ap-
parent-degraded habits come to the
front, vicious tendencies are apparent,
but conduct is wholly devoid of all
intelligent direction or rational initi-
ative. Many of these chronic dement's
are utterly lazy, disinclined for any
form of eXertion, and cannot be in
duced to employ themselves at the
simplest manual uabor They will
stand about for hours. slovenly Hnd
disorderly in attire, fumblng with
their fingers, disarranging or tearing
their clothing, and uttering continu-
ously string of incoherent gibberish.
Some Of these subjects may have no
delusion apparent, as a rule; but yet,
at times a mild maniacal attack may
reveal some delirious conception which
again fades away as the excitement
abates.'
do you agree with that doctrine?"
asked Mr.. Corbett.
Il do. That is. very correctly ex-
pressed
"Is it not possible that Larkin pass
ed into his final state of dementia in
the slow and consecutive way set out
in this quotation from the bOok?"
Excluding my knowledge of the his
tory of Larkin's case, / might say he
did"
On cross-eXamination by Attorney
Evans the witness said the testimony
of the doctors who had testified regard
ing Larkin's condition and the result
of the autopsy showed that he had
acute dementia, resulting from disease
of the blood vessels, which brought on
softening of the brain suddenly. The
first evidence of dementia, shown by
the testimony. was apparent when
Larkin was admitted to Wells hos
pital. The doctor said there was moth
ing in the testimony that showed that
Larkin was demented in 1899 or 1898,
or on May 4, 1898, when he said his
interests in the Tramway and SnOho-
mish mines to the Butte & Boston COM
pany, the deed for which is sought
to be set aside ON the ground that
Larkin was insane at the time.
Mr.. Evans questioned the witness rel
ative to some of the peculiar and
strange actions of Larkin during those
years, upon which the other side
mainly bases it's allegations of insan-
ity, and DR.. Pershing said they were
the acts of drunken man, and some
showed that Larkin was suffering
from delirium tremens, but that was
not recognized in the books as insan-
ity, though scientifically it must be
regarded as a temporary form of in
sanity.