The Washington herald., 1908-08-02
FRANKS OF MADMEN
Queer Pastimes as Shown in
Paris Museum.
FIXED IDEA" PREDoMINATEs
Opportunities Afforded to Escape
from HaIIucinatiOns Furnishes
Many Examples of Ingenuity
Among the Insane-Dr. Marie In
trOduces Separation System.

One Of the most interesting OF the Paris
museums is that Of the insane. establish
ed BY Dr. Marie. head surgeon Of the
mems section OF the asylum at vIIejuif
Dr.. Marie is the physician who introduced
the system by which the harmless luna
tic and the idiot are separated from the
more violent types. and permitted 20
follow their harmless pursuits in the be-
lief that they are living at home IN free
dom
UnGer this system, says Harper's Week
ly. the first task OF the doctors and
nurses IL 70 distract their patients from
the '-hxed idea When gentle treat
ment, indulgence. and the required regime
have reduced the patient 10 relative calm
ness. he Is encouraged 10 make himself
al home. to act freeIy-if his impulses
are harmiess-and to do any kind Of work
that may please his fancy. As the resrit
Of this wise system. most Of Dr. Marie's
patients follow some kind cf trade. Men
OF artistic instinct model in clay. paint,
or carve wood In a study Of Iuuacy.
Dr.. Marie declares that his experiments
have convinced him that one OF the best
ways OF reconcfIing a mailman to cap
tivity is 10 encourage in him the develop
nent Of his natural gifts. A mind forgets
its obsessing evil when intent on an
agrees be task
A few years ago the first prize offered
by the Academy OF Sciences fell 70 a
man confined IN the madhouse at Char
enton; at another time an engineer in
the lunatic asylum at viIlejuif was sec
ond IN the open competition for the de-
sign OF the Metropolitan Railway station
IN Paris.
Nature of Insane Art.
Usually the art OF rnaduen Is infaa-
tile II IS often melancholy, and almost
always irrational. The chief defect Is
greater OF less lack Of perspective and
proportion For instance. aa architect
who has lost his reason often imassnes
that q house ought 10 be broader at tie
top than at the bottom.
A sense Of art IS often developed for
the first tine IN the insane. Men who
have never drawn a line discover the ar
tistic instinct as soon as they have been
placed in confinement But their work is
always similar 70 the attempts 0f p-iui-
tive races. Thus an apache" or thug
Of Paris made a sketch Of his lie as he
i understood It He began by making a
{ d
[ he remembered that before he met her he
I had lived in Africa africa made him
+ think Of palm trees and pyramids. AMI
I pyramids made him think Of Napoleon.
I dis picture was an extraordinary mix
Z tUre Of palm trees negroes. pyramids
] and Napoleon invoking the centuries q
! encourage men 10 XII one another
One Of the patients. an insane ex-p1ysi.
I clan. manufactures bIudEeons and hatch
{ historic times As ne IS too violent 10 Re
trusted with any sharp instrument. he
I makes his tools by breaking one piece q
I flint against another. by rubbing two
pieces together TO wear them down 70 the
I required shape Having shaped them to
I his intention. he fixes them in handles
made Of pieceLnf jasmine vine. OF be-
I tween strips made from the soIes OF old
shoes Some OF the ingenuity exhibited
oy the violent insane gives cause for
grave anxiety L Is impossible 20 watch
I an ingenious lunatic so vel that he VIII
not pick up something at some time 10
shape into dangerous weapon Some OF
the harmless cases demand surveil-
lance by night and day
Valuable Inventions.
/ Some OF the inventions OF the insane
are OF scientific value a patient at Vile
juif invented a ''panihcation machine
by combining a bottle. a plank. and small
metallic tubes. 70 which he had fitted
faucets Having set Up his machine. he
produced Ioaves OF bread the size OF a
mans head The bread was good-so
good that It was decided 20 make the
machine known One day when e was in
action the doctor suggested taking a pho
tcEraph Of It The inventor watched him
as II petrified for a moment then he fell
/ upon the machine, wre0ched L apart and
trampIed Il unGe-foot- The invention
an exceedingly useful one-was lost be-
cause no one had seen him make e, and
no one dares 10 speak OF Il 20 him To
allude 10 II is 10 bring on a furious Al