New-York tribune., 1900-09-02
GENIUS AND INSANITY.
-rr TWO NOT NECESSARILY RELATED
-,-r-s nrrrxEn-TNsANTTY MERELY COM
PrTCATTON. LIKE DYSPEPSIA


--,-s The Hospital
'-.-so-s and even contradictory conclusions as 70
y rs-I--e and constitution Of genius have heen
ths thsts5 5r different INVESTIGATORS T-nfoTtlnaTe1,i
Is5cl -7ntuson has been created by regarding ge-
n- nis fhe conceptions alike or insanity and or re
= ayre Eot Yet scientifically formulated
ere author would cali person endowed With
se---fq 1lv excellent mental Dcwers A genius Nte-
,srd speaks Of three kinds az genius: The genius
-f -rassnc. which operates within the domain AZ
the sra2s 70 rs, j. ~ seSa4 lLaaellity for
-e-iss which consists IN capacity for discover
- +H0Se truths resulting from correct views con
mn ~ tae happiness Of mankind and n~s,t3raI
re-us which consists in ready activity in avail
ins 49, most prompt resolution r. 5,, ne & hign-
.sze5 rhat rhis IS a somewhat arbitrary 81 co.,1-s
rient description and division Of the subject
n Jolly says Genius Is a creative power using
,hs tenn ir The relative sense in which alona a. \;
-e-mlssi5le 90 apply H. II is the proglcrfor, ~
-ersin- which the combined efforts Of ofbeT % @ 90
puts the disposal OF humanity means OF exIiras
son of talent. OF invention. or OF new action which
ss5 son-e hing the stock OF COMMON inteil $50, .l
a-d common Ig"rr- hagen would connote as the
chef chara rerstic ~ genius high originality, az
orisiraiil3 Per se does not constitute genius for
far from being genius The person who Writes
6ooh $3.50 70 1tlEiilce society that men and
Woren SHou.u e Iaheo IS crank. not genius
TIE modern t-0glooyte referred 10 in a ccnfa-.1 -
rs-E comes llorr me same category. The mar
who puai-She7S IaE ana VIDE that he could cure all
Us Thot 1sSl IS neir ~ BY drinking water or bv
mskinS peon.e Walk barefooted over wet grass is
ne centu- for poetry and music is not the same
Y. fnn1
Gon5ors s-e not Identical Yet the almost nT9
vprsai 1r-eSration 0f the genius Of Tar~a-+as
mates: Of Shakespeare and Goethe in iiteratur If
Ncza-t and aSnsr in music: Of Darwin and LAT
Ae-T Spencer y biological sciences shows that rha
vr7er5yiUE quality Of genius gives n r,sry- 80 40
ferpu, persons its special HALLMARK c3ani,5s % -,e - -
exhibited IN other spheres Of action. ThIs FraS-
elck l'- Trr3t vas political and military genius
SeIa.-oG 9oI5TsT-e - a military and ruling genius
bsI-a--A - ttsl-lah OF genius
hcreau DE- Iou-s q physician and psychologists
q s1inen.e considered genius as a seuni-morbid
cTll-l-"H resulting from CTer-evCftatiOr nf
hrain Genius. ike every other fnteIlec-,,si co-
duon o- -5 5naIIlisTn has its substratun and
MS s.asItl-rl = p semi-morhid state Of the
7yTeHicsl forces surpass the ordinary Iirrirs Of
the- afI.0n 49, the cause must be sought in GER
nsur0Tath-r clement. regarded as ronsff-,1ert
parr nf genius. IS insisted upon by Lonbroso who
n AIS classical work nas laboriously collected
EuH1eI9-- instances 10 Illustrate it. Yet. there can
b little Doubt concerning the perfect sanity of
such men = genius as Shakespeare and Goethe
kant Darwin and Herbert Spencer Temporary
or periodic Seus1Tial disturbances either IN the
form ~ Illusions or hailucinatiOns Of sight or
hearing have been not uncommonly with in
me- ~ genius and among the names Of such men
e-ec.-l Fetl and Lcnlbroso are those Of
Socrates Martin Luther. BenvenutO Cellini. Cron1-
vel 2e-.aGo-ue and Byron
Resenhla7ces 70 the impulses OF monomania or
q he emotional susCeDtibilities and imagiuiugs
n hTste-is nay BE- traced IN men Of genius but il
nay BE- questioned whether such conditions are
aE1-i-ies mere superficial resembiances The
--aired psychologist and The practical physician
vii distinguish without much difficulty between
changes n mood such Goethe observed IN him
SCI and which have their origin in the highest de-
ve0ruerrs NJ the psychiCsl 0rEanism-and the
car-t-.CLsCFss 4 EyS-erical woman al whose
l---nE there stands always al need rich well
insanity has occasionally attacked great men
Jean Jaques Rousseau mad during life several at
rscks u insanity fM66lusl. tae poet COwper SUI
.sre1 from melauchola wiki ceusiors. the physiol
og-sr A-Hrechr v0n HaIer became melancholiac