A treatise on medical jurisprudence and insanity : containing chapters on imbecility, nervousness, mental deficiency, drunkenness, delirium, and mental diseases in general / By Issac Ray ... with an introductory essay by D. Spillan.

  • Ray, Isaac, 1807-1881.
Date:
1839
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A treatise on medical jurisprudence and insanity : containing chapters on imbecility, nervousness, mental deficiency, drunkenness, delirium, and mental diseases in general / By Issac Ray ... with an introductory essay by D. Spillan. 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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    duce its avowal from the patient, and the issuing of the commission from the Lord Chancellor. The sequel furnished a striking comment on the injustice of this act; for the insane gentleman gave so much assistance to those entrusted with the management of his affairs, that he was the means of their getting over difficulties which, without his aid, would have been insurmountable; and in the end, he was ac- tually, if not formally, constituted the steward of his own estate. It is well known that a monomaniac in England, who fancied himself Duke of Hexham and was accordingly interdicted, became the agent of his own committee for the management of his own estate, and did the duties of the office, for a time at least, not incorrectly. § 349. The case of Mr. Edward Davies, which engrossed the attention of the English public, a few years since, being, says Dr. Gooch, by far the most important lunatic cause which has been tried in our time, furnishes a striking illustration of the manner in which these things are managed in England. Mr. Edward Davies was born of humble parents, and though particularly shy and reserved among his school-fellows, he was generally considered sharp and intelligent. On leaving school, he commenced the business of a tea-dealer in London, and by inde- fatigable industry and cautious management, rapidly became rich. It appears that his health, at best, was delicate, and that he suffered much from dyspepsia and nervous excitement. He was fond of reading medical books ; and, like most persons who indulge in such a taste, was fanciful about his complaints and subject to false alarms. The defects of his early education, he endeavoured to remedy, by reading what he took to be the best authors, and was often guilty of making a ridiculous display of his acquire-