Observations on the phenomena of insanity : Being a supplement to Observations on the ... influence of ... the atmosphere on human health and disease / [T. Forster].

  • Forster, T. (Thomas), 1789-1860
Date:
[1819]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on the phenomena of insanity : Being a supplement to Observations on the ... influence of ... the atmosphere on human health and disease / [T. Forster]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    had the corresponding organs very large. I could enumerate an abundance of cases *, but I shall forego the consideration of the external figure of the head as an indication of character, in the present stage of the inquiry, and shall confine my observations to the following limited branch of the subject,—that the preponde¬ rance of any particular sentiment, passion, or faculty, constituting the character or genius of the healthy subject, is strongly marked in his insanity, and predisposes to the kind of symptoms : and that when the cerebral functions have been so disturbed by moral causes as to bring on the disease, the symptoms of derangement often ap¬ pear in those passions or faculties which have been greatly called into action, and irritated by the aforesaid moral causes. But the disordered vascular action is always the attendant on the disease ; and hence I infer, that the madness consists in derange¬ ment of material organs. I dwell less on the proofs I have derived from examining the forms of cranium, because I am aware of the unwillingness of the public to admit facts that can only be accurate¬ ly ascertained by a laborious and continued direction of the atten¬ tion to this subject almost exclusively. I shall, therefore^ only al¬ lude to the cerebral organs casually, where the examples of the coincidence of forms of the head with the disease is particularly striking. If the present state and popularity of the science permit¬ ted me to speak in the strict language of my own opinion, I should say as follows : —The organs of the brain may be deranged separately or together, any number of them at once, or one sepa¬ rately : hence, patients are insane in one particular faculty, and judge of it by another ; when the organ of cautiousness is the par¬ ticular subject of cerebral irritation, the prominent characteristic of the insanity is fear and melancholy *, the organ of ideality would add whimsical and imaginary dangers -, the mysterising faculty gives a superstitious- turn to the illusion, and the patient then sees visions, hears angels sing, voices calling him, &c. ; or, when the upper parts are deranged, he is religiously mad ; when the organ of com¬ bativeness is morbidly active, he is raving and furious ; or destruc¬ tive if the part of the brain behind the ears be inordinately large, or be called into diseased action* When the symptoms vary or alter* nate, as fury, melancholy, &c., it is because the irritated or in¬ flamed state is shifted from one to another organ. But I forbear any further allusion to the separate organs, and proceed to relate a few tases in the order of their phenomena.- § 5. A patient of irritable and nervous constitution, with much ideality and cautiousness, became sensible of increasing irritabi¬ lity, and could not regulate his bowels by medicines. The circu¬ lation became more and more hurried ; he had successively head- achs, nausea, vertigo, and irregular spirits, and was sensible of