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An Inquiry Concerning the Indications of Insanity; With Suggestions for the Better Protection and Care of the Insane
An Inquiry Concerning the Indications of Insanity With Suggestions for the Better Protection and Care of the Insane Author:John Conolly General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1830 Original Publisher: Taylor Subjects: Mentally ill Mental illness Insanity Insanity (Law) Law / Mental Health Medical / Psychiatry / General Psychology / Mental Illness Psychology / Psychopathology / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint o... more »f the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER III. THE CONSTITUTION Of THE HUMAN UNDERSTANDING. Qnte of the most interesting objects of an inquiry concerning the indications of Insanity, is to arrive at certain information applicable to cases in which individuals are supposed to be of unsound mind; in order that we may ascertain whether or not such a supposition be well founded. In numerous cases, this is not a task of any difficulty. Certain peculiarities of appearance, and manner, and language ; the wildness, the depression, or the extravagance of the individual, leave no room for doubt. Cases of greater obscurity occur, in which the derangement of mind does not manifest itself by continued irregularity of conduct, or by any strong external expression ; or in which it is perhaps displayed in one or two opinions only, or in which it is accompanied with the power and the desire on the part of the lunatic to deceive those about him. The perplexity which attends even cases of this kind, has, I think, been exaggerated: it is at least certain, that it has been so dwelt upon, considered as imposing such a heavy responsibility on the medical practitioner, as to cause very well informed men too often to rely, on such occasions, on thosewhose only qualification for decision was the assumption of a peculiar penetration with respect to such cases. In the mean time, the most important question, and that which really involves the practitio...« less