Observations on the nature, kinds, causes, and prevention, of insanity / by Thomas Arnold.

Date:
1806
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the nature, kinds, causes, and prevention, of insanity / by Thomas Arnold. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    16/376
    ^\iien, therefore, I describe fanciful in^ sanity^ as a species of delirium, displaying a, very great activity, and vivacity, of imagina- tion,—I do not suppose every person who discovers very great activity, and vivacity, of imagination, to be insane; but such persons only as are obviously under delirious delusion, strongly manifest insane activity, and plainly come under the definition of jiotional insanity. AVhen I say that in waiimsical insa- nity-f- the patient is possessed with absurd^ and WHIMSICAL fancies, aversions, fears, scruples, and suspicions, I do not compre- hend in this character every person who is more than ordinarily whimsical in his fancies, aversions, fears, scruples, and suspicions; but draw from cases of actual derangement, which I have seen, or read of, those extraordinary instances of absurd, and whimsical fancies, of which no one can dispute the insanity. The same may be said of my definition of impul- sive insanity;]:, which is followed by an account of various instances of those insane impulses which constitute the species, and of the insanity of winch none can doubt, who * Page 161. I Page 15i. % Page 163. have