less to publish the fact to his "mates" that I was “at large.” I now made up my mind to parley with Dr. B. before I gave myself up, and expressed my desire to see him to the attendant, as he left me to fetch, as I thought, further assistance. Immediately I was by myself, I grasped the shovel-a weapon equally as formidable as the poker I had let the attendant take from me. I had but just time to chuckle over my prize, when in entered the doctor himself, with about eight or nine of the stoutest "attendants." Shouldering my shovel in as alarming a manner as I could, and feeling naturally excited, I swore that I would knock down the first one who attempted to lay hands on me. The men, who stood at a respectable distance from me, knowing my determination and spirit, were really alarmed, and therefore, along with the doctor, began to parley. In the meantime other men had been sent round the Asylum so as to encircle me and come upon me from behind. The latter soon making their appearance, and seeing myself entirely in their power, and certainly having no desire to injure any of the attendants, who I of course knew were only doing their duty, I made no further resistance, and they soon closed upon me, and using me not unkindly, soon stripped me entirely naked, to see, I suppose, that I had no weapon about me, and giving me back my flannel waistcoat and shirt, thrust me into a "padded room." A bed was hastily made therein for me, the door was secured, and I was once more safely under lock and key. ART. V.-ON THE CONNEXION BETWEEN MORBID PHYSICAL AND MORAL PHENOMENA. BY THE REV. J. F. DENHAM, M.A., F.R.S. [No. VII. of a Series.] THE general proposition about to be maintained is, that deviations from moral rectitude in the thoughts, dispositions, and actions of mankind are associated with bodily disease, and caused by it; understanding, however, by the latter term literally all states and conditions of the body removed from its normal condition-beginning with the state of simple bodily excitement produced by evil ideas addressed from without to the mind and affecting the body through the mind; and including the morbid effects on the mind of physical excitement applied to the body; and all the morbid alterations invariably produced on the mind and moral powers by functional or organic diseases, malformation, &c. We are about to adduce reasons for the opinion that an abnormal or morbid condition of the body of some or other kind or degree, is the proximate cause of vice, sin, and crime; and that since such a condition of the body and its morbid effects on the mind constitute insanity, either latent or active, partial or entire, temporary or chronic, that vice, sin, and crime originate in insanity in the comprehensive and philosophical sense of that term. It will be allowed, on all hands, that vice, sin, and crime are effects; and we are about to investigate the proximate causes of those effects. We wish to find an intelligible and probable answer to the questions-Why any human being becomes vicious, sinful, or criminal?-Why all human beings are not similarly and equally vicious, sinful, and criminal?-and Why any human being is not at all times similarly and equally vicious, sinful, and criminal? And we believe that the answer to these questions is to be found in the differences of the physical condition of different individuals, and in the difference of the physical condition of the same individual at different times with reference to health and disease, however produced. In behalf of this opinion an appeal will first be made to our consciousness and experience; secondly, to our observation; thirdly, to the authority of the Scriptures; fourthly, to the opinions of the Catholic fathers; fifthly, to the Articles and other documents of the Church of England; sixthly, to the teachings of its standard divines; seventhly, to the involuntary concessions of the adversaries to this opinion. We shall, lastly, offer some practical conclusions from our subject. First: We appeal to the consciousness and experience of every individual, and we ask, in regard of those deviations from moral propriety with which all considerate persons will, we believe, acknowledge themselves to be too frequently chargeable-whether they are not conscious, upon due attention to their mental and moral states, that a suggestion, temptation, inducement, occasion, or motive to any of these deviations of any kind and degree whatever, does not then, only, become effectual when after that a certain kind of physical excitement has been sensibly produced in the brain circulation, &c.-whether they are not conscious that some or other portion of our physical nature must first become involved and coactive with the suggestion, temptation, inducement, occasion, or motive, and whether it is not, through means of such a physical coaction, continued and increased, that the balance between the moral powers and inclination is ultimately destroyed? We appeal to the experience of all persons whether their only safety from an evil suggestion, &c., does not lie in the resolute suppression of it before such a physical coaction has been effected-whether, if they have often neglected such a suppression, the physical coaction does not become more readily effected, and whether, in the case of a continued neglect of such a suppression, the physical coaction and the compliance with the temptation, &c., do not become irresistible? We appeal to their experience of themselves in regard of what is commonly called their "infirmity," "failing," "weak point," or "besetting sin," or what they are "given to❞—whether we have not now set before them the true account of its origin and power over them. What, indeed, is meant by the common phrase "keeping the mind calm," but the prevention of a physical perturbation? It is possible that a previous morbid state of the body or physical defect may render the prevalence of the temptation more easy; but even in this case the coaction with it of the physical portion of our nature is clearly perceptible. We further appeal to the experience of every man whether he has not often found that a diseased or disordered state of his body has been attended with an inclination or tendency to some or other kind of immorality, either of thought, disposition, or action, and whether, in proportion as his bodily state approaches the condition of health, such an inclination or tendency is not diminished. Is any man equally inclined to be amiable and virtuous under all the different states of his bodily health and strength,-under a careful moderation and selection in regard of his food, a due attention to exercise, &c.— and under a system of excess, negligence, or indolence? We believe that the reply to these appeals will afford a decided presumption in favour of our opinion respecting the physical origin, or at least proximate cause, of vice, sin, and crime; for since all persons are conscious of such an origin and proximate cause in regard of minor immoralities, it is, we think, only fair and safe to infer a similar origin and proximate cause in regard of those greater immoralities of which mankind are guilty; agreeably to Sir Isaac Newton's second rule of philosophising, that "phenomena of the same sort are to be accounted for by the same cause." Secondly, we appeal to the observation which all persons are more or less constrained to make on their fellow men. Let, then, any person direct his view to his acquaintances and friends, and does not the certainty of hereditary vices, sins, and crimes, and of vices as associated with particular bodily constitutions, conformations, states and conditions, present itself with irresistible conviction to his mind? Who has not observed instances among mankind of what Shakspeare calls "Some vicious mode of nature in them, As, in their birth, (wherein they are not guilty, By the o'ergrowth of some complexion, Being nature's livery, or fortune's star."* Who has not had reason to say "Blessed are those Whose blood and judgment are so well commingled, That are not passion's slaves ?"† Perhaps the most palpable instance of the connexion between morbid physical and moral phenomena is afforded by intoxication and its consequences on the disposition and conduct. In Dr. Lettsome's well-known scale of Drunkenness, the vices, sins, and crimes vary in degrees of atrocity proportionably to the strength of the different alcoholic stimulants, that is, according to the degrees to which a morbid state of the physical portion of the drunkard's system is produced. Even constitutional exciteableness alone may, if indulged, lead to many immoralities. Hysteria in children of both sexes is often attended with a propensity to falsehood, hypocrisy, and other forms of vice. So is also a precocious or rapid development of the juvenile constitution, whether male or female: such cases either terminate in the subsidence of immoral propensities along with the completion of the physical development, or in death. I find in my memoranda the case of a female child of about nine years of age, of premature growth, excited manners, peculiarly sparkling eyes, keen-minded and mischievous, who would, unless closely watched, approach visitors to the house in a most winning manner, and, having gained their attention, would violently thrust her finger into their eyes; and having accomplished her purpose, would burst out into triumphant laughter. She died before she was ten years old, of fever. It is, I believe, universally admitted that insanity of all kinds is attended with a propensity to some or other kind and degree of immorality, as is also mental weakness or a deficiency of understanding. I give the following instances that have come under my notice they may be considered as types of classes containing many individual cases: A young man, aged 23, of delicate constitution, defective moral and religious education, habitually talkative, boastful, prone to exaggerate, but yet possessing a remarkable aptitude for drawing, was, during the last few years of his life, addicted to sensuality and the company of the dissolute; seemed totally † Act 3, scene ii. * "Hamlet," Act 1, scene iv. destitute of all ideas of justice to God, to himself, or his fellowcreatures. Even a short time before his death, and when he was supposed to be too weak to need surveillance, he managed to rise from his bed, and was found at the distance of several miles from his abode, in a most deplorable state, in one of the lowest haunts of profligacy. The cause of his death, according to the opinion of his medical attendants, was diseased heart combined with phthisis. Often have I seen a family plunged into distress by the early and sometimes sudden indications in some one of the younger members of it of waywardness, proneness to immorality, insensibility to all expostulations and reasoning, and even to any consideration of self-interest. The result has been, generally, insanity or early death. "Enemies to themselves" is the popular comment in such instances; and I have had reason to believe that there was in some of these cases a real hatred of themselves, a wish to degrade and ruin themselves, and an impatience till they had thoroughly succeeded. CASE 2.-A young man, of delicate appearance and very excitable temperament, thin, pale, and diminutive for his age, introduced himself to me as the son of a clergyman, and complained of an incessant inclination to abandon himself to immorality, although, as he assured me, he was a perfect stranger to the vice to which he was tempted. It had, however, become his fixed idea, although he responded, and apparently with sincerity, to my exhortations and warnings. I heard a few months afterwards that he died in an asylum for the insane. CASE 4.-Reported to me by the survivor. A young man, remarkable for the correctness of his demeanour, was many years ago proceeding one evening to chapel at Cambridge, accompa nied by a fellow-student and friend, when he suddenly proposed to abandon chapel and resort to the haunts of dissipation. His friend expressed his astonishment at this unexpected development in his character. He nevertheless turned away, was absent all night from his college, and three weeks afterwards he died raving mad. CASE 5.-A young female, who had always evinced some degree of mental and bodily weakness, vanity, singularity, proneness to squander money, was attacked, at about seventeen years of age, with mental aberration, accompanied with well-defined catalepsy, attended with præternatural acuteness of the senses. She appeared able to discern by her smell whatever was brought into the house, though confined to the highest room in it. She knew who came into the house, and heard their footsteps when too distant for others to hear them; was sullen and violent, and unless prevented, would feel after those who came to see her |