In addition to the observations already made on former and present
treatment, it is only justice further to say, that amongst recent
patients, I have scarcely seen (if indeed I have seen) one instance of
continued revenge. Their spirits exhibit themselves in good or
ill-nature, according to the direction that is given them, and even in
the old cases, as in the one above stated, it appears simply the remains
of their former usage; so that if their minds are still agitated in some
sort with feelings of revenge, it is only like the sea which will
fluctuate awhile after the storm has ceased; but the winds are hushed,
and every wave becomes less and less, until it subsides into a calm.
_No._ 22.—_Admitted_ 1801.
Nothing on record.—I have been informed, that his mind was instantly
wrecked by the female of his heart unexpectedly marrying another the very
day previous to that on which she had promised to be made his own for
ever. He was an idiot, who could barely answer in a low whisper, and to
a few very simple questions, “yes” or “no.” He was old, and pale, and
thin—had a long face—his head hanging forwards—his stare was ludicrously
vacant and goggling—his lower jaw fallen, and saliva flowing over his
large hanging lip—though he generally stood quietly in a corner with his
face to the wall, yet sometimes he would for some hours together make a
strange and disagreeable noise—what was still more disgusting about him,
he had the sickening habit of bringing up his food and regorging it, yet,
in other respects he was not a dirty patient—perhaps because having been
with a better class, he had received more attention.—He had this singular
fancy, that if he had one or fifty pieces of bread and butter, he would
eat, or secrete, or pocket them all, except one. He gradually declined
from old age, and died in December, 1821.
_No._ 23.—_Admitted_ 1801.
No statement of his case. It is reported that he was a clever man, a
hard student, fond of political subjects, and that speculations on the
national debt were the cause of his insanity.—This report receives a
colouring of probability from two large trunks full of books now in the
Asylum belonging to him, almost wholly on subjects of political science,
among which is a large collection of pamphlets on the national debt, and
it is apparently confirmed by the nature of his hallucination; only I
cannot trace the report to any certain source. It is certain he was
Superintendant of the Police at Bombay.
His appearance and manners are very peculiar, and very difficult to
describe. He holds his head forwards and obliquely upwards in a
calculating position; moving his hands in different directions, and
working with his fingers like unto one gathering something in the air.—At
times he extends and stretches his hands higher than his head, moving and
working them in the same manner: he will hold his face directly
upwards—open and shut his mouth in a gaping and catching style, as if he
were feeding on air; repeating these operations, and intermingling them
with a strange gurgling noise in his throat—almost always muttering to
himself as if he held busy converse with his own thoughts, with visible
appearances of pleasure or anger on his countenance, occasioned by his
imaginary operations being successful or otherwise.
Though he is sometimes as immoveable as a statue, yet he is for the most
part moving about, and has a singular mode of treading with his feet like
one who has been accustomed to a tread-mill, lifting them higher than
necessary, and setting them down cautiously,—sometimes pulling off his
shoes—sometimes, however, quickening all his motions, as if something
required extraordinary haste and dispatch; and thus he marches about like
some star-gazer treading on precious and frail materials; seldom more
than a few moments in one place, and in all his movements in different
rooms and parts and corners of his gallery, stairs, and airing court, and
in all his operations and mutterings it is evident that he, in his
imagination, is performing some essential part of his _mighty task of
paying the national debt_, for when any of his operations or mutterings
are interrupted, like one whose studies are suddenly broken in upon at
some unlucky moment, he seems vexed and unhinged; sometimes bursting into
a violent passion, when he is most eloquent in the use of scurrilous
epithets (a proof that to use abusive epithets requires very little mind)
calling the person who has impeded him in his great work, low-bred, mean,
dirty scoundrel, rascal, villain, thief, vagabond, madman; accusing him
of being the cause of the loss of many millions to the nation,
threatening him with the direst punishment, particularly that he shall be
whipped in the air. He is otherwise remarkably quiet and inoffensive,
and uniformly intent upon this object, except that sometimes, as already
stated, he appears unhinged and irritable by the unsuccessful issue of
his calculations, and is then more liable to take offence, especially at
any disrespectful deportment towards him, for it must be observed that he
is still very fond of his title and of that deference due to a man of
rank. Occasionally, like some alchemist of old, he fancies that some
äerial being, which he calls the clown of the air, plagues him in various
strange ways and interrupts his operations, for which mischievous
interference he, in his way, severely scolds him.
The politeness which may be traced in his manners, is evidently the
result or remains of his old habits, as he is so absorbed in abstract
speculations that all attention to himself or external objects is utterly
excluded; he is always solitary, but it is like the solitariness of one
whose intense studies allow him no time for fellowship or the exercise of
social feelings, so much so, that notwithstanding a consciousness of kind
and respectful treatment towards him, he scarcely yet seems to know the
name of his attendant.
Although his system is delicately susceptible of changes of temperature,
he scarcely ever notices it himself; and when roused to pay attention to
his feelings, he says that it is the clown in the air that has teased him
with the iron ague.
He has been subject to occasional attacks of asthma, brought on,
apparently, by exposure to cold in the night time, during these
operations, (for he frequently jumps out of his bed to carry on this
great patriotic duty.)
Though he can, if properly roused and managed, still answer questions
much more correctly than all these appearances would indicate, yet it is
evident that his mind is gradually declining, from age, exertion, and the
nature of his case; he is an object of interest and sympathy, and nothing
can exceed the way in which it is shewn towards him by his attendant.