394 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



have been great men who were insane, but whether the propor- 

 tion of those who have at some period of their lives been attacked 

 by insanity of diJfferent types has been markedly greater or less 

 among famous personages than among the general run of man- 

 kind. In order to decide this, we should be in a condition to state 

 with exactitude what the percentage of insane among the total 

 population was at a given period of history, how many men of 

 genius there were at that time, and how many of these were 

 insane. Such researches must be repeated at different times of 

 history ; then, if they were irreproachably exact and sufficient, it 

 would be possible that some sound conclusion might be reached. 



There has also been an attempt to trace a connection between 

 genius and insanity through facts of heredity. In spite of some 

 valuable works in this department, it must be admitted that the 

 observations hitherto adduced are still far from sufficient to have 

 any scientific value. The fact that in several families of eminent 

 men insanity has occurred in no wise justifies us in drawing any 

 conclusion. In order to do that, we must, as in the former case, 

 be in a condition to establish statistical comparisons which shall 

 be absolutely exact between the proportionate occurrence of in- 

 sanity in the families of men of genius and those of ordinary 

 men. Every disinterested observer must be struck with contra- 

 dictions and the inadequacy of the investigations that have been 

 made in this field. 



It is true that between famous men the so-called geniuses 

 and the insane many resemblances may be traced. Nevertheless, 

 they are, as we have seen, mere resemblances, not real affinities. 

 Just as every symptom of mental disease has its analogue in 

 health, so has it also an analogue in genius. But, owing to the 

 entire mental action being higher than in average men, the states 

 analogous to morbid symptoms here come out more markedly. 

 Genius resembles insanity as gold resembles brass. The similarity 

 is merely in the appearance. When we go deeper into the facts 

 we find the two states so widely disparate that we are not justi- 

 fied in saying that they are allied ; still less, with Moreau, that 

 genius is a morbid condition. 



Finally, let the fact be considered that most of the great men, 

 both of art and of science, were misunderstood by their contem- 

 poraries, and were only appreciated after they were dead. In 

 recognition of this truth, Goethe pronounces that a genius is in 

 touch with his century only by virtue of his defects, only in so 

 far as he shares the weaknesses of his times. The genius of the 

 truly great man outstrips, with its great wing strokes, the rest of 

 the flock. Those who can not keep up with him can not compre- 

 hend him. They are puzzled at first, and finally set him down as 

 a fool. In short, they confound genius and insanity. 



