The Washington weekly post., 1899-10-24

The Turin insanity expert, physician
snd university lecturer Mont, recent
had an experience which. his cOlleagU
L0mbroso says is worth recording in
book OF 90 pa=es.
Owing 10 various excitements and sOf
ioUs IN the course Of day, DT. Mont
had nervoIs COLLAPSE. In the middle o
= lecture on insanity. be suddenly erie
oE;: run for yo1y liyesi /. too. am in
sane" Revi Irg. he found himself in be
and IA condition Of absolute asphyxy
8is body was dead but his mind kept ol
working.
After a While something heavy was car
Tsu IN; ms coffin.
lie had TO listen 10 the rude jokes OF IN
Gndertaker's men, knowing all the tim
that mis- face and boay exhibited tn
symptoms Of one dead.
A. they were about TO screw on the lid
q girl, Months first love. fought her way
into the ro5r, 20 gaze upon him one
more. Her rowing eyes acted like mag
nets upon mis- OWE.
he made 4 last suorCme effort. tren
OF ran through his body his face witch
ed. Cries Of. He mCyes." He is alive!
Dr. Mont was saved.
dere follows his story in his own words
Causes Of the ProsIration.
"The air had been hot with the fiery
Lreath Of the sirOccC for three days
and my nerves were unstrung on account
ol The heat, Of Worry and excitement. i
lad. at the time. four distinguished pa
tisnts lowering at the 6faye's brink. My
general practice and my various other
duties allOw,d me not a free minute in
;se day; the sick and suffering sent for
me n ali hours OF the Light.
when / jumped into the carriage TO
go to University. there TO deliver much
advertised lecture. somebody handed me a
telegram.
Alas! poor Emilio, my friend and pa
tient was dead. He had been d writer "
divine verse, a genius, poorer than Job,
and richer in children than the owner Of
a harem. What was TO become of them
and their penniless mother? And l hadn't
had the heart TO even prepare them tor
the worst.
Under ordinary circumstances the lee
ture-rCOm is TO me place for intellectual
recreation. To-day. when my whole bod
lily and mental system demanded absO-
Lutte rest, the very thought of standing up
a
yet | perceived there was no escape
from duty. The hail was packed to SUI
location with students, and, horror of
horrors, there we're some distinguished
French physicians in the audience, who
had stopped over expressly to hear me.
When. after making these obserNa-
tions, il was found that / had left the
notes for my lecture IN the cab, my eX-
element increased, 1t was too late tc
hunt for them and, nervous as l was,
ran over the letters and papers in my
pockets for material. AS ] happened 20
come across a few memoranda on certain
new phases of insanity which lately had
come under my surveillance. l resolved
10 make them the basis OF my remarks.
Had FORGOTTEN His Notes.
''Of what follows l haven't got a very
clear conception. / remember, though,
that | was loudly applauded on ascending
the platform. and that II cost me almost
effort 10 utter the introduc-
tory remarks. What / mad never done
before, l suffered and hesitated after
every word. But the respectful silence of
my audience. the attention with which
the students followed my labored dis
course. gave me hack self-confidence after
a little while. ] began to feel that / was
myself again, the clouds that had cob
webbed my brain passed away. My
thoughts became clear and distinct,
words formed on my tongue like magic
Now l aTticulated to perfection, and my
-loquence was more than equal to the
interesting and novel subject. | was as
founded at the change, and at the power
md conciseness of the arguments put
Onward without preparation.
And my memory that | had always
ound rather torpid and unreliable, sud
ienly changed into a faithful friend and
lily. Cases of insanity which | hadn't
hought OF since the days Of my youth
anne back TO me as vivid illustrations OF
he hypothetical cases under discussion
'Then, when all my intellectual re-
the power of discern |
nent, the gift of criticism and the knoWl- |
dge of curious and strange cases-were |
working at fever heat, a feeling of in |
tinctive horror seized me. / felt myself |
standing in the shadow of an awful dam |
,er-a danger which / couldn't escape.
hat, octopus-like, held me in its vice
"As this feeling grew on me and finally !
vercame me, the prOud etiifice OF my /
hetorics began to tremble, my seemingly /
ne nexhaustible flow OF thoughts erumbled /
way, the wings OF my genius became |
anne. Yet there was "a last flare up of /
powers. For a moment / /
hOught that l was a mighty soothsayer
nd seer, gifted 10 cite the dead and the |
wing before my forum. Charmed by the
hought, l Interrupted my speech-the
Tide hail was as still as the grave, thou
ands Of eager eyes hung upon mine
Cried Out that He Was Insane.
Now, Ike a thunderbolt from the blue
eaYens. another odd idea came crushing
trough my brain l felt my face twitch.
onvulsive laughter shook my frame. Be
ore l knew what / was about | uttered
lese words: Run for your lives; ]. too.
m mad
Il saw my audience rise as one man.
Il before me was pallid faces, excite
ent. gesticulations, cries OF surprise and
horror
Then / lost consciousness.
When ] came 10, / was in bed-mv
q; i recognized the furniture IN the
'om. Red sunlight shone through the
air closed curtains. Evening. then. was
1proaching ! was glad could see II an
They had deserted me-a deadly silence
'evailed throughout the house When [
gan 10 examine the reasons of my lying
bed at this unusual hour, a weakness
'ercsme me. j closed my eyes and tried
sleep.
The arrival of my friend. DR.. Forcas.
'akrned me He regarded me for some
inutes with a steady gaze. and I saw
al he changed color as the nature of
: observation became clear 20 him. His
rd tremb!ed when he felt my pulse. ana
IN a voice full OF sadness he naurrnurei.
y The Virgin. how he has changed in
Tie more than an hour
! heard woman's voice On the cor- I
Tor. May ] come IN? 7
'Forcas made no answer and nv wife |
'loed into the room. How male aud {
serable she looked. AS she bent over
kiss me. not tears dropped upon nv s
rehead. She took my hand In hers I
sssed tt carefully. and with her lips 10 q
ear asked In a fsl.ering voice: DO c
u recognize me, Carlo" q
Could Neither Speak Nor Move.