192 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the defense is insanity, the explanation and theory are so far from the 

 accepted views of experts as to confuse courts and juries, and be criti- 

 cised and ridiculed by others. This defense occurs most frequently in 

 two forms of cases : One, of a chronic inebriate, who is all the time more 

 or less under the influence of spirits, and who lives in a low moral 

 atmosphere, in bad physical surroundings. Suddenly he commits a 

 crime, which is without motive, and seems a mere accident and result 

 of unforeseen conditions. The second case is of a man who may be a 

 periodical inebriate, and of good character and reputation in every- 

 thing except excess of use of spirits ; whose surroundings and general 

 standing are good, and who commits a homicide or some strange crime 

 under circumstances that are inadequate to explain or account for it. 

 In both of these cases there is no recollection of any of the circum- 

 stances, and the defense is based on some specious reasoning and theo- 

 ries. There are evidently disorganized brain-power, mental and physical 

 incoordination, with defect and unsoundness of the reasoning powers, 

 which can not be made clear to the court and jury. The prevalence 

 of the theological theory, that all these strange, unaccountable acts of 

 inebriates, who are not stupid at the time, or wildly delirious, come 

 from vice and sin, is fatal to all scientific study and progress. This 

 condition of trance, noted by absence of memory and consciousness, 

 has been discussed by Dr. Carpenter, of England, under the title of 

 "Automatic Cerebration," from which I quote the following sentence : 

 " I have noticed some cases of drunkenness, in which a suspension of 

 memory and consciousness was noted, coming on ixnexpectedly, and 

 then the patient was a victim to morbid impulses which he never real- 

 ized or had any recollection of after." Dr. Hughlings Jackson writes at 

 some length on mental automatism, following transient epileptic parox- 

 ysms, in which this same condition is described at length as a form 

 of sudden paralysis of the cerebral functions, or conditions of hyperse- 

 mia and suspension of some controlling centers. The late Dr. Forbes 

 Winslow describes a similar condition of trance and automatism where 

 the person seemingly acted as fully recognizing right and wrong, 

 although consciousness was obliterated. Dr. Hammond mentioned the 

 case of a man who, after an attack of epilepsy, went about for eight days 

 in a trance state, doing business, and having no memory of it. Dr. 

 Hughes has also mentioned similar cases. Abroad many eminent special- 

 ists, including such names as Drs. Bucknill, Clouston, Mercer, and Motet, 

 of Paris, and others, have described this state associated with epilepsy, 

 and following mental shocks in persons who are drunkards. These 

 references are presented to show that the trance state has been ob- 

 served by eminent men, although not yet studied from the side of 

 crime and responsibility. A large number of cases are constantly be- 

 fore the courts on trial for crime committed after and during excess in 

 the use of alcohol — crime that is purposeless, without motive or ob- 

 ject, and diflFering in the manner of execution, and effort to conceal 



