98 THE FEEBLY INHIBITED. 



An examination of the literature of insanity reveals much indirect 

 evidence of this difference in inheritance of hyperkinesis and hypo- 

 kinesis, and some authors have duly appreciated the fact. 



Thus Stelzner (1906), in an analysis of the inheritance of 200 suicidal 

 women, finds that in 65 cases of suicide with melancholia, one parent 

 of the suicide is insane or depressed in 4 cases or 6.1 per cent, while, 

 on the other hand, in the 32 cases of suicides with an hysterical psycho- 

 pathic constitution at least one parent is insane or psychopathic in 14 

 cases (in one case for 2 generations) or 44 per cent. In the first group 

 "heredity" is unknown or doubtful in 47 out of 65 cases (or 70 per 

 cent), while in only 15 out of 32 in the latter group is heredity unknown 

 or doubtful (or 47 per cent). These differences are what one expects 

 between a trait with indirect and one with direct heredity. 



Let us now consider, seriatim, some special family studies of the 

 manic-depressions, to see how they bear upon our conclusion. Berze 

 (1909) studied the family H. The propositus (child 1, born in 1843; 

 married 1870) was in later years repeatedly of such disordered mood 

 that she could not attend to her domestic duties. She was admitted 

 to the hospital in 1892 with a chronic delusion which had probably 

 long pre-existed. During the 16 years that she was under observation 

 at the hospital her condition underwent no intermission or remission — 

 there was no change of mood from gay to grave, but she was constantly 

 happy, euphoric. In later years she had a slight inclination to a con- 

 dition of anxiousness, and, when free from it, to a certain angry irrita- 

 bility. She shows many hallucinations — the confabulations but not 

 the systematization of delusions; she shows absence of emotions and 

 profound impairment of psychic behavior; is disoriented and perma- 

 nently deteriorated. Her brother, child 2 (born 1847), shows a typical 

 alternation of mania and depression and has undergone these changes 

 7 times. 3-0% died at 4 years of diphtheria. 4- 9 , shows repeated 

 loss of mood, but is not in an institution. 5- 9 , born 1850, at 22 years 

 had a depression; in 1888 she showed great excitement, talked much, 

 tore her clothes, was cruel to the maid (who left), and was sleepless 

 and restless at night. At the hospital she showed clear mania, was 

 restless, threatened others, complained a great deal, and became excited 

 in the next few weeks. In August and September she was confused, 

 noisy, aggressive; in October quieter; in December still better, and 

 was discharged in February. This woman has two daughters, of whom 

 the elder at 25 years was hyperkinetic in the summer of 1907, melan- 

 choly in the autumn, then hyperkinetic in the spring. The other 

 daughter shows a prolonged hypomanic condition, with the picture of 

 "moral insanity." 6- 9 , born 1852, in her twenty-sixth year was dis- 

 turbed in mood and died 3 years later. 7- 9 , born 1856, first showed 

 mental symptoms in 1875. In the hospital in February with maniacal 

 excitation, she cried, laughed incessantly, was irrational in speech, dis- 



