Tregear. — Inaugural Address. 615 



of life, and almost even the thoughts of the actors. To civil- 

 ised men, on the other hand, the law of custom has become 

 confused; religion, morals, legislation, evolution of ideas, 

 exigencies of occupation throw a web of lines and a dazzle 

 of cross-lights over the question of individual responsibility. 

 It would be idle to attempt to consider such a question as 

 regards those of us who are (more or less) sane, because the 

 infinite number of differing cases baffles inquiry, but it is at 

 least open to us to consider somewhat as to the responsi- 

 bility, or the absence of responsibility, that we impute 

 to the insane. It is one of the saddest of subjects, but 

 with the continual increase of insanity it demands attention. 

 The tendency of education and culture is to empty our 

 gaols and fill our lunatic asylums. It is hardly compatible 

 with such modern culture to hold that an insane person is one 

 " possessed of a devil," and that from such a one the evil 

 spirit can be cast out by any priestly or religious conjuring. 

 But, while we are ready to punish the criminal, and thus 

 declare that we hold him directly responsible for his actions, 

 it may be as well to endeavour to find out how much healthy 

 action may be found as a survival in a diseased mind. The 

 born criminal is now, in prison, ranked with the man who has 

 but once, perhaps, broken the long record of a useful and 

 laborious life by yielding to temptation, and there is no 

 difference made in the law between the man who is 

 criminal because his brain is diseased and the man who, 

 though physically sound, is morally weak. It is an enor- 

 mous mistake to treat mental deficiency and mental dis- 

 ease as if they were one and the same thing. Mental 

 deficiency indicates insufficient brain development, and may 

 show every variety of moral and intellectual weakness. Idiots 

 and other persons so afiiicted may have marked ability in 

 some special directions, such as music ; but they are certainly 

 not responsible bemgs, and can no more be expected to obey 

 the moral laws that govern sane persons than a watch can be 

 expected to keep time if some of its works are removed. On 

 the other hand, and in regard to those suffering from brain- 

 disease, the line between sanity and insanity could not be 

 drawn if the behaviour or conversation of such persons were 

 considered the only criteria of their knowledge of right and 

 wrong. For those who are not conversant with the subject, I 

 will quote as example the report of an interview with a luna- 

 tic person — a fair example enough : — 



A.B., male ; age, 38. 



Who are you ? — I am a crowned king. 



Where were you crowoed? — Ac Corbett and Sullivan's championship 

 prize fight. 



What are you king of? — Emperor of Germany. The Emperor of 

 Germany crowned me, and the arbitrators sanctioned it. 



