The Sun. — 1838-08-30 (London, England)

INSANITY.  (From the Dumfries and Galloway Courier.) Whether insanity was a disease of frequent occurrence among our warlike ancestors in this portion of the empire, has never yet, we believe been made a subject of serious inquiry. But even if it had, we are not aware of any records from which authentic information could possibly be obtained. We are inclined to think that it was an infirmity seldom met with. It is one of those drawbacks that most assuredly follow in the train of civilization and mental improvement, and considering that the Scottish people, for many centuriac, possessed little of either, we may readily suppose they were not very grievously afflicted with any of those " ills" that only polished life "is heir to."  In all mountainous countries we find that congenital deformity of the cranium, and consequently an imperfect development of the faculties of the mind, are, and ever have been, of more frequent occurrence than they are in our cities and plains ; hence the great number of idiots in all alpine districts. This is a fact that has long been established, and, however variously accounted for, admits of no dispute. We find in all our histories and chronicles that every parish or hamlet in Scotland had almost constantly one or two of these imbecile, and (happily in most instances) harmless human beings, who, indeed, were often considered more the property of the whole parish than of their own families, and many of whom have become celebrated on account of their remarkable hut always very limited talents and sagacity. In general, they were allowed to wander over the country, not only unmolested but often most affectionately cared for; and yet, if they showed a vicious disposition, or became what was considered dangerous to the community, the law made no distinction, in this country, between them and the most depraved criminals. They were punished equally with other evil-doers. The imbecile idiot and the cold-blooded murderer, were often sent to the same prison and confined in the same dungeon ! When the number and condition of the insane poor in Scotland was for the first time seriously investigated, in the beginning of the present century (and they are still alive who began that investigation), it was found that the number of persons in confinement in our county and burgh gaols, as being considered .furious or fatuous persons, exceeded all previous calculation, and that many who had been apprehended and incarcerated during a very temporary paroxysm of insanity, and who had soon perfectly recovered their senses, had remained as inmates of the prison for years ; there being no friend to inquire after their health or care for their liberation. More than thirty individuals were found in prisons whose only crime was the misfortune of having been born with a defective brain ; many had been in confinement more than ten years, several twenty, and one or two nearly forty, under, in most instances, the presumption that they were dangerous idiots. There were several females who had been committed under that pretence, and who, forgotten or neglected for more than twenty years, had become a prey to the bad designs of every villain whose multiplied crimes or aggravated offences had sent them to the same prison ; some, it was found, had become the mothers of more than one or two children ; and even murder, it was suspected, might have been added to the already proved and appalling catalogue of crimes which, under the then--18041 I—existing system and state of our laws, unfortunately prevailed.