upon the connexion of this artificial insanity and
suicide. If we turn to what is commonly considered natural insanity, — the insanity to which
coroners’ juries attribute nearly every suicide that
occurs, — we shall find that some powerful preventive duties lie directly in our way.
It is an old complaint on the part of physicians, and of sensible people outside the medical profession, that families and friends, and sufferers themselves, conceal the symptoms of maladies of the brain till they can be concealed no longer. The further practice of making a secret of the existence or condition of an insane relative is mischievous in the same direction, by keeping up the notion that there is some sort of disgrace or insurmountable horror in insanity. The notion is a relic of ignorance and superstition, as we see by the fact that nobody is ashamed of having been delirious in a fever. In that case, the simple physical origin of the brain disorder is completely established; and the delirium is regarded, when it is over, like the other symptoms of the fever. In the case of the insane there is still some lingering of the ancient notion of possession by demons; or of the malady being a signal case of branding by the wrath of Heaven. No men or women would now admit that any such conception influences their minds; but yet they might find it a difficult matter to explain clearly why they feel disposed to conceal the fact of the insanity of any relative. It is not my business here to go into any inquiry of that kind. My present point is, that a vast amount of curable brain-disease becomes incurable, and that a large proportion of suicides is occasioned by this practice of concealment of early symptoms. A man who would complain to wife or brother, and to his physician, of disorder in any other organ of his frame, will not speak about his brain. He would bo explicit about disordered functions and local pains, and treacherous weakness of limb or sense, but he is gloomily silent about an impaired memory, irritable moods, depressed spirits, haunting fancies, and the long train of forerunners of unconcealable brain-disease. He goes on as long as he can, and tells only when he feels he is not to be trusted with razors, or the laudanum bottle. Then his family conceal it, trying insufficient remedies, and letting him go about till he assaults some eminent personage, or kills a child, or hangs himself. Such patients often, if not usually, pass through a stage (well known to convalescents from a “nervous fever,” as it is called), when the suffering from a sensation of tension in the head is such that the impulse to “let it out” is almost, — sometimes quite, — uncontrollable. The patient may be as fond of life as anybody; he may have every reason, this illness apart, for valuing and enjoying life; his reason and conscience may be quite clear as to the duty and privilege of brave living and unselfish dying; and yet he snatches at the first knife within his reach, to relieve the intolerable sensation in his head. Hence the suicides, not only of convalescents from severe illness, but of many sufferers from incipient, or still manageable brain-disease.
Here, then, we see that a rational, honest, cheerful attention to the health of the head, — just as if it were the chest or the abdomen, — is one preventive of suicide. There is more behind, however. We must go still one step further back. The duty will not be fulfilled till the prevention of insanity itself is taken in hand.
To a great extent it may be said that the same improvement in education and morals which would preclude much suicide, would preclude a far larger amount of insanity. This is true; and it narrows the ground of special consideration. If we all lived so as to enjoy the best health, and if we were all good and reasonable, very few people would kill themselves, and insanity would be very rare. Taking that much for granted, there are special considerations belonging to the case.
Insanity, and particular forms of insanity, are hereditary. The practice of suicide goes down through successive generations, as we all know familiarly by the evidence given at coroners’ inquests. Out of this fact arises a clear and stringent duty in the matter of forming a marriage connection. But there is one point especially on which the evidence is so plain, and the consequences of transgression are so fearful to the parties concerned, and so injurious to society, that nothing but ignorance can excuse the commonness of the offence. The intermarriage of blood-relations will hereafter be regarded as a barbaric crime, like some of the gross practices which we read of in ancient and in foreign countries far behind us in civilisation. We recoil from Spanish and Portuguese marriages between uncles and nieces; but we see marriages of cousins take place before our eyes, with no more effectual condemnation than a shake of the head, and a prophecy of future mischief. And this goes on while marriage with a deceased wife’s sister — an union which no natural law forbids, and some strong ones prescribe — is resisted by ecclesiastical opposition which makes no difficulty about the marriage of cousins.
One single testimony of fact will here be worth more than anything else that can be set down. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts desired, a few years since, to ascertain the number of idiots in the State, with a view to arrangements for their welfare, as well as to establish the statistics of the case. The legislature sent out a Commission of Inquiry; and the Report of that Commission (written by the Dr. Howe so well known as the educator of Laura Bridgman, and as the Principal of the great Blind School at Boston, U.S.) lies before me. One passage (page 90) gives “the statistics of the seventeen families, the heads of which, being blood-relatives, intermarried,” which he had occasion to inquire about in the discharge of his commission. Ninity-five children were the issue of these seventeen mn mages. Of the ninety- five children, one was a dwarf, one was deaf, twelve others were scrofulous and puny, and forty-four were idiots. Forty-four were idiots! Nature speaks plainly enough here; and no considerations of sentiment, custom, or prejudice should drown her voice.
We found asylums for idiots: we reform our lunatic asylums: we reason with our hypochondriacs, and soothe our sufferers under morbid