CHAPTER II. 



DEFECT, DISORDER, AND DEGENERACY OP MIND IN MAN. 



Mental Condition of Idiots, Lunatics, and Criminals. 



IT is not enough for the student of comparative psychology 

 to be acquainted with the phenomena of undeveloped mind as 

 it is illustrated in the human infant or savage .adult. Not 

 less interesting and important, as a standard of comparison 

 with the psychical condition of the lower animals, are the 

 phenomena of 



1. Mental defect, non-development or absence of mind, in 

 the human idiot. 



2. Arrested development in the human imbecile. 



3. The mental decay of senility in man. 



4. The degeneration or degradation of mind, on the 

 one hand, (a) in the civilised European, for instance, in the 

 Portuguese settlers in Malacca ; and on the other, (b) in 

 savage races, such as the Australian aborigines, under the 

 influence of prostitution, drink and disease, introduced by 

 the c civilised ' whites. 



5. The various perversions, disorders, or diseases of mind 

 that constitute human insanity ; as well as 



6. So-called reversions to the animal type in wild men and 

 beast children, including the bestial, theroid or feral habits 

 of certain human idiots and lunatics. 



In the human idiot the following mental peculiarities 

 and bodily concomitants, which have been fully described by 

 Professor Duncan, Dr. Browne, Dr. Ireland and others, are 

 specially deserving of note : 



1. Defective mentalisation, intellect and morals, with their 

 results stupidity and helplessness. The defect sometimes 



