An account of the late murder and suicide in Leicester : with the reasons why one of the medical men at the coroner's inquest gave his opinion that she was insane ... / by a surgeon.

  • Anderson, James, -1863.
Date:
[1849]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of the late murder and suicide in Leicester : with the reasons why one of the medical men at the coroner's inquest gave his opinion that she was insane ... / by a surgeon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (5.)—This incapability of being convinced of the good and evil, right, and wrong, truth and falsehood, of his belief is that, which as an intellectual being- renders him different from other men, and constitutes his dis¬ temper. (6.)—In those cases where insane persons have deliberately destroyed others there has been some ex¬ isting and prominent delusion which has been fully believed to be true, and good and right which has con¬ stituted the motive, and urged on the miserable victim of his delusion to the accomplishment of his purpose. (7.)—Lord Erskine savs, “in cases of atrocity the relation between the disease and the act, should be ap¬ parent; and again I think as a doctrine of law, the delusion and the act should be connected.” Although these grave authorities, the lavVyers, have laid down no definition of madness, nor given any directions how to discover it. The oidinarv class of 9' persons, who are usually summoned to act as Jurymen, and who are sufficiently virtuous and intelligent have in common with the mass of mankind formed their opinions of that state of mind which is denominated madness, and it should be observed that such opinions are not very easily removed or altered. (8.) SUMMARY OF THE CASE. 1. Insanity in her father’s family.—2. Took place at that period of life which might be expected.*-3. Fear, fear of want, being m poor circumstances.—4. Love, she loved her child; they always wish the destruction of those they love most—5. Anger, disagreement about emigration.—6. Grief, a crying child.—-7. Anx¬ iety, fear of loosing her place at the factory in conse¬ quence of her sore finger.—8. Refused to eat, they often obstinately refuse any nutriment, and dies.-— 9. Flee from society, she was quiet and reserved, kept no company with her nearest neighbours, nor spoke to them,—10. Bodily injuries, or wounds, a diseased [5] Dr. Haslam’s Medical Jurisprudence. [6] ,,, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... iLj ••• ••• ••• ••• ... ... ... ••• .• ■ J • i) • •« •!« • • < .. • • • • • - • • • Page 20* „ 24- 51 & 52- Page 8-