Lunatics were supposed to be
afflicted with demons or devils which took possession of
them as retribution for their sins, and in addition to the
hopelessly or maniacally insane, medical science recognized
only a so-called "partial" or delusionary insanity. Today it
would be regarded about as comprehensive to relate all mental
diseases to the old-fashioned "delusion" as to regard as
insane only those who frothed at the mouth.
But the particular individual out of whose case in 1843 arose
the rule that is in 1908 applied to all defendants
indiscriminately was the victim of a clearly defined insane
delusion, and the four questions answered by the judges of
England relate only to persons who are "afflicted with insane
delusions in respect to one or more particular subjects or
persons." Nothing is said about insane persons without
delusions, or about persons with general delusions, and the
judges limit their answers even further by making them apply
"to those persons who labor under such partial delusion only
and are not in other respects insane"--a medical
impossibility.
Pages:
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302