Contributions to Mental Pathology (History of Psychology Series)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1873 edition. Excerpt: ... assured, that it was either thus-committed, or was prompted by the ordinary motives of crime,--interest or passion. Difiiculties surround both hypotheses, while the question is also complicated by very grave doubts as to whether the deed of violence was done by the prisoner at all. If he killed the woman unconsciously, he might also have thrown the razor into the privy unconsciously; but all this would not have prevented his knowing, when he came to himself, that he entered the house with the razor in his pocket, for such must have been the fact. In this connection, it must be borne in mind that he always denied that the razor found in the privy was his, for that, he declared, got broken and was thrown into the street, several days before. On the other hand, it Was not pretended that he was a hardened criminal, and it did not appear that he had led a vicious life. It seems to be quite incredible that the alleged motivethat of getting a few dollars--would have induced such a man to murder a woman, deliberately and designedly, from whom he had experienced nothing but kindness. Farther observation and inquiry might have thrown more light on this interesting case. At subsequent interviews his manner and manifestations might have been different, indicating a wider reach of the pathologi-. cal element. His counsel told us that be varied considerably at different times, and that during the trial he was sometimes so dull that they could hold no intelligent communication with him. Something might have been learned from those who had been conversant with him during the last four or five years, while he was serving in the army at a distance from his home and friends. That period must have embraced many interesting facts in his psychological...