INSANITY

We now proceed to another state of mind, called by philosophers, Insanity. The power of reason, that is the faculty by which we compare facts with each other and mental expressions with external things, is said to be lost in Insanity. In this state of mind, the subject appears to be under the complete control of some strong and irresistible impression or train of successive impressions, real to him and which he cannot repulse with a comparison with external objects. Like a subject in the dreaming or mesmeric state, he is not able to discover what impressions flow from false causes and distinguish them from those which flow from real causes. The subject himself acts precisely as every man would under the same real impressions. 

Then mind is governed and controlled by the same laws in this state as in the natural or dreaming state. It acts from real impressions under a full belief of the real causes of such impressions. This state is no doubt induced by some powerful impression upon the mind which cannot be removed by slight impressions produced upon the mind from common and everyday objects. If this state is removed at all, it must be done by inducing some counteracting impression, which will lead the mind into a different channel of thought. This state of mind often exhibits in the individual more acuteness and intelligence in almost every subject than when in its natural condition. He will reason correctly although from unsound data and return answers justifying his conduct, which would display a thoughtful and premeditating mind. We have read numerous instances of individuals whose conduct has been most unreasonable, yet could justify their acts by giving inducements to such conduct, based upon reasonable grounds. Dr. Abercrombie relates the case of a clergyman in Scotland, who having displayed many extravagances of conduct, was brought before a jury to be declared incapable of managing his own affairs and placed under the care of trustees. Among the extravagant exhibitions of conduct was that he had burnt his library. When the jury requested him to give an account of this part of his conduct, he replied in the following terms. "In the early part of my life, I had imbibed a liking for a most unprofitable study, namely controversial divinity. On reviewing my library, I found a great part of it to consist of books of this distinction. I was so anxious that my family should not be led to follow the same pursuit that I determined to burn the whole." He gave answers to other charges brought against him justifying his conduct and the jury did not find sufficient grounds for guarding him with trustees; but in the course of two weeks, he in a state of decided mania! Individuals while in this excited state, when some leading impression has control, have really believed themselves to be some great actor in the world, an emperor or a king and supposed all the fair fields about them and all the inhabitants who live within their state or nation are subject to their control. Others have descended in the scale of their existence and supposed themselves beasts of burden, or mere things. These are all real to the subject. He feels himself just as he believes. This is sometimes called a deranged state of mind. It is, however, a disease, as much so as any condition of man. For we contend that disease is nothing only as it conveys impressions to the mind. That if one should cut his finger and no sensation should be conveyed through the sense of touch to the mind, it would not give pain to the subject. This position we know by experiments upon individuals both in their waking and mesmeric state.
Insanity, Monomania, Hallucination are all diseases, and remedies may be administered to counteract them. The treatment of the subject, while insane, has much to do with his recovery. For the benefit of this class of individuals, hospitals are erected at the public expense, where the best remedies can be administered.
This disease among physicians is not usually attributed to flow from the same sources as what they term those of the body and therefore they do not resort to the same remedies. Physicians generally call Insanity a disease of the mind while fever and other similar states are diseases of the body. I maintain that all diseases are only known to exist as they affect the mind of the patient, that is, there would be no disease which could affect an individual provided it could not make a sensation upon his mind. If he did not feel sick, he would not probably be sick. In cases of scrofula and what is sometimes termed King's evil, diseases said to be incurable, the power of the Seventh Son to cure them is an effect upon the mind, being conclusive evidence that some strong impression induced the disease. And the belief of the patient and that also of the seventh son, acting in concert to produce a counteracting impression, would destroy the old first cause which brought about this diseased state and nature then restores herself. We do not believe that the seventh son has any more virtue to heal patients than any individual; nor do we think the fact of his passing his hand over the diseased portion of the body could affect anything towards counteracting the first impression, only so far as an external motion may assist to more strongly impress the mind. It is simply the process of mind acting upon and in correspondence with mind.

I will introduce an experiment here which goes to show something in proof of what we are explaining.

An individual fell from his horse and dislocated his elbow. The surgeon set it and his arm was, when I first saw it, badly swollen and very painful. I commenced operating upon it and in a short time reduced the swelling so that the bandages were very loose and all the pain subsided. He was then enabled to lift up a chair without any pain, but before could not lift a pound nor even use his fingers. Someone may enquire whether the dislocation of the elbow was a disease of the mind? We answer, it was, that is, all the pain which was the result of the falling from the horse was in the mind, being the only part of man susceptible of sensation, that the mere blow or contusion would not produce any pain unless there was a mind which could feel the blow, because matter is not supposed to have the power of sensation.

We might bring many facts, as we trust we have in the former part of this work, to show where the disease is to be remedied and where of course it must flow from to affect the person or when an impression is produced from which follows all the phenomena of disease both of body and mind. But we allude to the subject here to illustrate our ideas upon Insanity. And by the results we have effected upon diseases by operating upon mind, we think the argument is conclusive that all diseases, including insanity, flow from the impressions upon the mind as their first cause.