ESSAY ON THE STALLION. 85 



sources. We will content ourselves with two 

 and first take a lamentable case in the human 

 species as given in the valuable work on the 

 " Constitution of Man," by George Combe : 



"In the summer of 1827, the practitioner alluded 

 to, was called upon to visit professionally a young 

 woman in the immediate neighborhood, who was 

 safely delivered of a male child. As the parties 

 appeared to be respectable, he made some inquiries 

 regarding the absence of the child's father, when 

 the old women told him that her daughter was 

 still unmarried ; that the child's father belonged 

 to a regiment in Ireland ; that last autumn he had 

 obtained leave of absence to visit his friends in 

 this part of the country, and that, on the eve of 

 his departure to join his regiment, an entertain- 

 ment was given, at which her daughter attended. 

 During the whole evening she and the soldier had 

 danced and sung together; when heated by the 

 toddy and the dance, they left the cottage, and 

 after the lapse of an hour, were found together in 

 the glen, in a state of utter insensibility, from the 

 effects of their former festivity ; and the conse- 

 quence of this interview was the birth of an idiot. 

 He is now nearly six years of age, and his mother 

 does not believe that he is able to recognize either 

 herself or any other individual. He is quite 

 incapable of making signs whereby his wants can 

 be made known, with this exception, that when 

 hungry he gives a wild shriek. This is a case 

 upon which it would be painful to dwell, and I shall 

 only remark that the parents are both intelligent, 

 and that th $ fatal result cannot otherwise be 

 accounted for than by the almost total prostration 

 or eclipse ot the intellect of both parties from 

 intoxication." 



