214 Biographical Memoir of' M. Philippe Pinel. 



bited to him those maladies, in all their varieties, and in all 

 their changes. He framed tables in which their predominant 

 and occasional causes, the series of their phenomena, according 

 to age and sex, and their various terminations, were carefully 

 stated ; and from these tables he derived the most valuable re- 

 sults. The chief was the certainty that, in many cases, mania 

 is a transitory disease, which cures itself like fever, if it be not 

 disturbed in its progress ; whence it was easy to perceive the ne- 

 cessity of instantly reforming the barbarous methods which, till 

 that time, had been employed against it. It seemed, in fact, 

 that, on this point, medicine had continued stationary since the 

 twelfth century. In many hospitals, the physicians had dis- 

 dained the treatment of maniacs, and had left it to monks, cha- 

 ritable no doubt, but uninformed, and obstinately attached, like 

 all men of their class, to what their society had formerly prac- 

 tised. From the first attack, the unfortunate patients were tor- 

 mented by cruel modes of treatment, which aggravated the evil. 

 If the mental alienation was prolonged, chains, dungeons, and 

 the most frightful usage, ended in rendering it incurable. One 

 mio-ht have said that so many criminals were delivered over be- 

 forehand to the punishments of hell, and yet this darkened and 

 enfeebled reason is scarcely ever altogether extinguished ; the 

 insane have not always lost the sense of justice, nor that of kind- 

 ness. These cruelties, which they have not deserved, exaspe- 

 rate them : they see in them only an unwarrantable abuse of 

 power, and too often the mistrust and hatred with which they 

 are inspired are the greatest obstacles to their cure. Wherever 

 M. Pinel had any influence, he abolished these violent measures ; 

 patients enjoyed all the liberty compatible with the safety of 

 those about them. Endeavours were made to learn the moral 

 cause of the disease, and to oppose it by means of the same 

 nature. More frequent cures were soon obtained, and when the 

 disease could not be overcome, the barbarity at least was discon- 

 tinued of treating harmless men like ferocious beasts. The dif- 

 ferent kinds of alienation were separated, cleanliness and order 

 every where prevailed; in many cells quietness succeeded to 

 fury ; the unhappy victims found rest, and even moments of en- 

 joyment. It has often happened that strangers have gone 

 through almost the whole apartments of La Salpetriere reserved 



