On the different forms of insanity : in relation to jurisprudence, designed for the use of persons concerned in legal questions regarding unsoundness of mind.

  • Prichard, James Cowles, 1786-1848.
Date:
1842
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the different forms of insanity : in relation to jurisprudence, designed for the use of persons concerned in legal questions regarding unsoundness of mind. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    faculties in all other respects and to all other purposes. This opinion of the nature of in- sanity is founded upon facts, though these facts have been stated in an exaggerated manner, and are supposed to be of general occurrence, while they are in reality rare, and by no means so strongly marked as they are stated to be. Mr. Locke is cited as an authority for this opinion in modern times. M. Locke, who is said to have practised a short time as a physi- cian, remarked, that madmen mistake some false impressions for truths, and by the vio- lence of their imagination having taken these fancies for realities, ma,ke right deductions from them. Hence, a man who is of a right un- derstanding in all other things, may, in one particular, be as frantic as any in Bedlam/' Madmen put wrong ideas together, and so make wrong propositions, but argue and reason right from them. Mr. Locke's notion as to the nature of insanity is, that it consists in mis- taking unreal suppositions for truths, or in holding fancies for realities. It seems to have been the opinion of this celebrated writer, that the insane person retains, in the meanwhile, all the powers of his mind in perfect integrity when directed to other objects, and can even reason