Observations on the illusions of the insane, and on the medico-legal question of their confinement / tr. from the French of M. Esquirol by William Liddell.

  • Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol
Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the illusions of the insane, and on the medico-legal question of their confinement / tr. from the French of M. Esquirol by William Liddell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    20th Obs. M. **** who was attacked with hypo- chondriacal ]ypemania,*used continually to strike with his cane the furniture of his apartment, and even that of a room in which there were several persons. The faster he walked the more frequently he struck, and at last I discovered that he mistook the shade of the furniture for rats. The shadow produced by the in- valid passing between the furniture and the light, made him believe that the rats were in great numbers, and he knocked to frighten them away. The faster he walked the more rapidly the shadow moved, and in greater numbers he imagined the rats increased. 21st Obs. I had under my care a young lady, who had devoted much attention to the arts and litera- ture, and possessed a very active imagination. She was maniacal, and passed the night without sleep, enraptured with the fine pictures which she saw de- lineated on her bed and window-curtains, and express- ing aloud her admiration- I succeeded in procuring sleep for her by depriving her of light during the night. * In the Dictionnaire des Sciences MSdicales, tome 32, article M^lancolie, Esquirol says, Monomania is divided into monomania, properly so called, hav- ing for a characteristic sign partial delirium, with excitement or gaiety; and 2dly inonomania with partial delirium, accompanied by sadness or oppression. The first corresponds with maniacal melancholia, maniacal fury, melancholia compli- cated with mania, and amenomania, (Rush.) The second kind corresponds with true melancholia, melancholia of the ancients, and tristimania of Rush. If I were not afraid of being accused of coining wordsj I should give to this second species the name of lypemania, (lypemanie.)