. Who is insane? . deranged in its action. Theeffect of such derangement may be Hmited toa change in the function of that part chiefly, orit may involve a change in the action of manyparts closely allied in physiological activities. It follows, as in any mechanism, that the evi-dences of mental derangement will be more orless obscure or pronounced according to thefunctional relations of the part in which the dis-turbance began. We may derange the strikingapparatus of a clock without affecting it as acorrect time-piece; but if we change the actionof the pendulum, we can no longer rely upon thec
. Who is insane? . deranged in its action. Theeffect of such derangement may be Hmited toa change in the function of that part chiefly, orit may involve a change in the action of manyparts closely allied in physiological activities. It follows, as in any mechanism, that the evi-dences of mental derangement will be more orless obscure or pronounced according to thefunctional relations of the part in which the dis-turbance began. We may derange the strikingapparatus of a clock without affecting it as acorrect time-piece; but if we change the actionof the pendulum, we can no longer rely upon theclock as a measurer of time. So, in the actionof the brain (though in a much larger sense own-ing to the enormous number and intricate con-nection of its parts), the speaking of a certainword may be the only method of eliciting thederangement. The entire mental operationsmay be deranged by the entrance of a poisoninto the blood, which would affect large sec-tions of the brain. Ill The Diagnosis of Insanity at Sight. Ill The Diagnosis of Insanity at Sight REMARKABLE exception to thepreceding proofs of the diffi-culty of diagnosis of insanityoccurred in my personal expe-rience and is worthy of recordin this connection. That an in-sane person may be recognizedat sight by an expert was demonstrated in thefamous trial of William Freeman, the happened to be a witness of theA Dramatic incident, which was highly dra-Episode matic in all of its details. In aninstant and without warning thelarge gathering of excited spectators, all intenton the question at issue, the insanity of the pris-oner, found the issue shifted to itself by the de-mand of the prosecution that the learned expertwitness on the stand should point out an insaneperson in the audience. The trial was at Au-burn, New York, and it happened that I at-tended the court at that critical period. What! Do you affirm that you can diagnoseinsanity at sight? 41 42 WHO IS INSANE? I do, was the calm, dignified, but emphaticr
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