Medical testimony and evidence in cases of lunacy; being the Croonian lectures delivered before the Royal College of Physicians in 1853. With an essay on the conditions of mental soundness.

  • Mayo, Thomas, 1790-1871.
Date:
1854
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical testimony and evidence in cases of lunacy; being the Croonian lectures delivered before the Royal College of Physicians in 1853. With an essay on the conditions of mental soundness. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    should it be presumed to remove, on its disap- pearance all those trains of thought which have been set up in the mind during its presence, or the opinions resulting from them. What is im- plied by cure, is mainly, that the power of self- control has been regained; for on this latter point it must be admitted, that although the evidence of the invasion of insanity is not complete, until its intellectual symptom, delirium, has occurred, still no recognised intellectual improvement can be taken as conclusive evidence of a cure until moral self-control is restored. The first of these provisions is claimed by the special interests of the patient, and in order that his liberty may not be invaded on inadequate grounds; the latter is requisite for the defence of society. Meanwhile, with respect to moral self-control, it is justly assumable, that this has not been regained, if certain delusions had not been abolished, but it had never been proved that the one persistent delusion of Dyce Sombre belonged to that class. In a case to which I was called in by Dr. Monro, a few years ago, it was our painful duty to resist the liberation of a patient, an old lady,