L.'s father was insane; his brother was once met on the street wearing only a shirt. During his military service L. had had two attacks of severe fainting. Since 1859 he had suffered with peculiar attacks of vertigo, at such times becoming weak, tremulous, and deathly pale; it grew dark before his eyes, and he saw bright stars, and was forced to get support in order to keep upright. After violent attacks, great weakness, profuse sweating.
Since 1861 he had been very irritable, which, respected though he was as an official, caused him much trouble in his work. His wife noticed the change in him. He had days when he would run about the house as if insane, holding his head between his hands, striking the wall, and complaining of headache. In 1864 he fell to the ground four times, lying there stiff, with eyes open. Confused states of consciousness were also proved to have occurred.
L. declared that he had not the slightest remembrance of the crime of which he was accused. Observation showed further and more violent attacks of epileptic vertigo. L. was not sentenced. In 1875 paretic dementia developed with a rapidly fatal result. (Westphal, Arch. f. Psych., vii, p. 113.)
Case 154. A rich man of twenty-six had lived for a year with a girl with whom he was very much in love. He cohabited infrequently, and was never perverse.
Twice during the year, after excessive indulgence in alcohol, he had had epileptic attacks. One evening after dinner, where he had taken much wine, he hurried to the house of his mistress, and into her sleeping-apartment, although the servant told him she was not at home. From there he hastened into a room where a boy of fourteen was sleeping, and began to violate him. At the cry of the child, whose prepuce and hand he had injured, the servant hurried to them. He left the boy and attacked the maid; after that he went to bed and slept twelve hours. When he awoke, he had an indistinct remembrance of intoxication and coitus. Thereafter there were repeated epileptic attacks. (Tarnowsky, op. cit., p. 52.)
Case 155. X., of high social position, led a dissolute life for some time, and had epileptic attacks. He became engaged. On his wedding-day, shortly before the ceremony, he appeared, on his brother's arm, before the assembled guests. When he came before his bride, he exposed his genitals and began to masturbate. He was at once taken to an expert in mental disease. On the way he constantly masturbated, and for some days was actuated by this impulse, which gradually decreased in intensity. After this paroxysm the patient had only a confused memory of the events, and could give no explanation of his acts. (Tarnowsky, op. cit., p. 53.)
Case 156. Z., aged 27; very bad heredity; epileptic. He violated a girl of eleven, and then killed her. He lied about the deed. Absence of
