126 Heredity. 



wealthy, and father of two gifted children, drowned himself at the 

 same age. A wine-taster who had made a mistake as to the quality 

 of a wine, threw himself into the water in a fit of desperation. He 

 was rescued, but afterwards accomplished his purpose. The 

 physician who had attended him ascertained that this man's father 

 and one of his brothers had committed suicide at the same age 

 and in the same way.' 



This identity of the manner of suicide is another point worthy 

 of notice, as tending to show the automatic character of the 

 heredity. We have given several cases in point, and the data with 

 regard to this matter show that the same manner of death is often 

 traditional in a family : some drown, others hang, or strangle them- 

 selves, others throw themselves out of window. 



With suicidal may be ranked homicidal monomania, of which we 

 have already spoken under the head of passions, and which is also 

 hereditary. We need here give only one instance of this form of 

 morbid heredity, but it is one that by itself is more convincing 

 than a host of others. We take it from the Annales de Hencke, 

 1821. 



A woman named Olhaven fell ill of a serious disorder, which 

 obliged her to wean her daughter, six weeks old. This complaint 

 of the mother began by an irresistible desire to kill her child. 

 This purpose was discovered in season to prevent it. She was 

 next seized with a violent fever, which utterly blotted the fact from 

 her memory, and she afterwards proved a most devoted mother to 

 her daughter. 



This daughter, become a mother in her turn, took two children 

 to nurse. For some days she had suffered from fatigue and from 

 ' movements in the stomach,' when one evening as she was in her 

 room with the infants, one of them on her lap, she was suddenly 

 seized by a strong desire to cut its throat Alarmed by this 

 horrible temptation, she ran from the spot with the knife in her 

 hand, and sought in singing, dancing, and sleep, a refuge from the 

 thoughts that haunted her. Hardly had she fallen asleep, when 

 she started up, her mind filled with the same idea, which now was 

 irresistible. She was, however, controlled, and in a measure 

 calmed. The homicidal delirium recurred, and finally gave way, 

 only after many remedies had been employed. 



