Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-09-02
GENIUS AND INSANITY.
The Claim That the Former Is a
Variety OF the Latter.


Man az Genius" maintains the thesis
that renius is a variety of insanity
ana a product OF degeneration. Lom-
broso himself appreciated the natural
shrinking Of the mind from such
conclusion. and he makes this reply
TO those who object to his theory on
sentimental grounds:
.But our nature, il is customary to
say, revolts against a conception when
tends to lower the most sublime mani
festation Of humanity to the level OF
the sorrowfully degenerate to idiocy
and insanity. 1t is sad, do not deny,
but has not nature caused to grow
IRON similar germs, and on the same
clod of earth the nettle and the jas
mine. the aconite and the rose?
Degeneration as described by Lom-
broso has many signs. Among these Is
extraordinary shortness of stature or
smallness of body. He enumerates a
long list of men of great genius who
have been famous for shortness OF
stature.
rForgetfulncss Is another OF the
characters of genius. 1t is said that
Newton once rammed his niece's finger
into lis pipe: when he left his room TO
seek for anything he usually returned
without bringing it.
'Rouelle when performing an expert
nent during lecture said to his hear
crs:
:. You see gentlemen. this caldron
over the lame? Well, if | were TO
leave off stirring ii an explosion would
at once occur which would make us all
jump While saying these words he
did not fail 10 forget TO stir and the
prediction was accomplished: the ex-
plosion took place with fearful
noise: laboratory windows were all
smashed, and the audience fled to the
garden.
Sir Everard Home relates that he
once suddenly lost his memory for half
an hour. and was unable to recognize
the house and the street in which he
lived; he could not recall the name OF
the street and seemed to hear it for
the first time.
1T is told of Ampere that when tray
cling on horseback in the country he
became absorbed in problem; then.
dismounting began to lead his hoe
and finally lost it. but he a.. not dis
cover his misadventure until on ar
friends.
''Babinct hired a country house and.
after making the payments. returned
to town: then he found that he had en-
tircly forgotten both the name of the
place ana fl ON what station he had
started.
''Onc day Euffon, lost in thought. as
ccndcd 4 tower and slid down by the
H. l.. i
ing, like a somna mbulist. Mozart. in
carving meat. so often cuts his fingers,
accustomed only to the piano. that he
had to give up this duty to other per
cons. OF Bishop Munster. it is said
that seeing AT the door Of his own
antechamber the notice, The master
of the house is OUT he remained there
awaiting his own return.
The tendency to melancholy is com
mon To the majority of thinkers. and
depends on their hyperaesthesia. 1t
is proverbially said that to feel sorrow
more than other men constitutes the
crown of thorns of genius.
Among men of genius We often find
the phenomena which characterize that
disorder termed by alienists folie du
doute. one of the varieties of melan-
chOlia. In this form of insanity the
subject has every appearance IF men
tai he1lth: he reasons. writes and
speaks like other people; everything
goes well until he has to eXecutes d
definite action. and in this he finds al
:ortS of imaginary dangers.
When Johnson walked along the
streets Of London he was compelled t,
touch every post he passed. If he
omitted one.t he had TO return. He al
ways went i'll or out Of door or pass
age in such a way that either Of his
right or his left foot Boswell was not
certain which, should be the first t.
cross the threshold When he mad.
any mistake in the movement h.
would return and. having satisfactor-
lily performed the feat, rejoin his com
panions with the air of a man who had
got something off his mind.
Napoleon | could not pass througl
Il street even at the head of his army
without counting and adding up tn,
rows of windows. Manzoni in let.
ter addressed to Georgia Briano that he
has become famous. declared that h,
was incapable of giving himself up {,
politics because he did not know how
to decide on anything. He was Away.
in Il state of uncertainty before ever!
resolution. even the most triiing ii,
VAS afraid Of drowning in the smalles
puddle and could never resolve to &,
out alone.
Newton. of whom il was truly sal.
That his mind conquered the human
race was in old age afflicted by menta
character than that of Swift"
III Is very interesting to see LON
orosos classification of great men int,
insane men of genius and sane mel
"i genius. Under the head of insan n,
anu partially insane geniuses are in
'luoed the poet Tasso. Cardan. tn,
great mathematician: Socrates Rous
scau. Dean Swift. Mohammed. Char
les VII Giordoan Bruno. Sir Isaa.
Newton Cat least in his later year 81
EdSaT Allen Poe. Walt Whitman
.Nat"ieon' Comte. the philosopher
Luther, Dante. Julius Caesar. Fred
ere the Great-in fact the ma iority q
IN" names most conspicuous in history
IN many cases Lombroso regards a
ihdic'tion OF insanity peculiarities an,
c,ceftt,ities which most people con
Siuer To be only oddities of characte,
having no relation To insanity