Year: 1874

man with a freshly broken leg were
to tell you he was going to run &
foot race. you would not believe
him, because your common sense
revolts against the idea of his run
ming with a leg disabled. But il
one with his-brain disabled declares
that he is going to do something de-
pendent upon the action of his
mind, common sense does not argue
so well.


in the second place, did my poor
friend, with his impaired means of
Judgment believe that the impulse
was uncomfortable? Because If he
did the end would be the same so
far as he was concerned. He would
sacrifice his own life to protect that
of others, though they were in no
actual danger.


''In the third place, might not
this story of the impulse be a mere
pretense 10 excuse the commission?
Now, there are no forms of mad
ucss more obscure in their origin.
more difficult to detect, more per
sistent, and more fatal than suicidal
mania; and as thoro have heen nu-
merous cases in which persons who
have destroyed themselves having
carefully prepared evidence tending
TO show that their death was acci
dental, why should their death not
be one in which the fatal act was to
be $50 far as possible) justified?


''In the fourth place. granting that
there was either real or homicidal
mania or fancied homicidsl mania
tending to suicidal. or simply the lat
ter, was there possibility of cure?


GAS the three first questions rest
ed for their solution on one set of
facts and the deductions to he drawn
therefrom, l consider them together.
A victim of suicidal mania rarely, If
ever, speaks OF s1icide. When a
man says he is going to drown him
self, you may generally direct HIM
to the cars that will take him to the
river side with the fullest conviction
that he will not breakfast with crabs
II, in an exceptional case, suicide is
mentioned, it will either be treated
lightly as an act that is not crime,
or the patient will he very earnest in
his assurances that he would never
commit it, Remembering my poor
friends manner. | noticed that he
spoke of taking his own life with
much more emotion than he evinced
when he told me of the impulse to
shed the blood Of others. His words:
Il must have human life: if | had
had pistol with me should have
shot her; somp dry soonI shatl take
a pistol on purpose and shoot her;
| should murder my keeper and 60
straight for that innocent girl, we're
spoken as calmly as though he
said, L owe So, and must go and pay
them;' and, at the same time, with
a tone of deep commiseration for
the predestined victims. They were
TO die for no fault of their own, but
they were doomed to death If he
lived. When, on the other hsnd,
he spoke of saving their lives at the
sacrifice of his own. his manner was
No one afflicted with sui
cidal mania ever treated self destruc-
ton with the horror, the conscious
ness of It's wickedness, and the re-
ligious doubts as to its being par
donable under any circumstances,
with which he considered it He
had never once spoken of murder as
4 crime.


"After long and careful consid
Grafton, | came to the following con
clusioAs:


"He is not laboring under suicidal
mania.


His impulse is real, and will have
fatal results.


Confinement in an asylum would
have no curative effect.


...Then | took down my books bear
ing upon the anatomy of the human
head


X


The next morning | addressed
him thus:


"sBefore l answer you as to wheth
er you would be justified before God
under the impulse you have told me
of, in taking your own life to save
that of another, you must answer me
several questions


$50 on he said.


"'When you consulted those doc
tors did you tell them all you have
told me?'


"No; did not dare | said that
had horrible thoughts and cravings.
but without entering into details as
to what they were. Once ] went so
far as to say that feared l was be.
coming dangerous, and the fool
smiled


"'Good. Did you ever speak OF
searching for that ball?'


"'Yes; they said it might be the
cause of my sufferings, surprising il
had lodged near the brain, but that
no one would take the responsibility
Of searching for it-so to speak--iI
the dark


".They were right; the operation
might kill you and the ball not b
found after all


ale looked up, and the dull, de
lected look that had become habitua
passed from his face.


"'And even if it were found
went on, its extraction might caus
your death all the same.


"He had his hand on his arm ana
tried to speak bat he could not.
Still it would give you q chance
just chance of more than life. His
grasp frightened. I could feel bis
heart beating. And submitting to
such an operation, almost hopeless
though it be-would not be quite
suicide