INSANITY IN THE LOWER ANIMALS. 29 



of essentially the same nature. Perhaps the chief difficulty 

 in the lower animals is in the determination of the presence 

 and character of sensorial and intellectual delusions, a sub- 

 ject, however, that is discussed in a separate chapter. 



Much to man's discredit, what he fails to detect is oc- 

 casionally detected by animals themselves. Thus mental 

 or moral peculiarities in their young that escape man's notice, 

 are nevertheless observed, and their significance understood, 

 by their own mothers a result attributable probably to 

 their superior love, interest, sympathy, watchfulness, and 

 keenness of observation. A mother dog, horse, or other 

 animal sometimes detects what escapes even the veteri- 

 narian. Thus Houzeau tells the story of an idiot or imbecile 

 dog-pup whose mother had noted its peculiarity, its want of 

 mind, its mental inferiority to its brother pups, its incapa- 

 city to fend or provide for itself; and had, so recognising its 

 incornpetency, supplied it specially with food. In other 

 words, where man fails, certain of the lotver animals them- 

 selves form a correct diagnosis or estimation of the nature 

 and consequences of mental defect or derangement in their 

 offspring or companions. 



In short, one of the most beautiful and beneficent illus- 

 trations of maternal solicitude as well as sagacity is this 

 special care taken by mothers of the imbecile or helpless. 

 The female dog or cat recognises in her offspring any phy- 

 sical or mental want or disability, when it either entirely 

 escapes man's notice, or long before it becomes sufficiently 

 obvious to attract his attention. 



The method of diagnosis, the mode of studying insanity in 

 other animals is the same as in man. There is no single test 

 or criterion for distinguishing between sanity and insanity, 

 health and disease, unless in so far as it can be said that 

 the application of kindness, for instance, is a test between 

 sanity and insanity. If it be found impossible to correct 

 vices of character by persistent kind treatment, it is at least 

 highly probable that mental or moral defect or disorder 

 exists, other corroborative indications of which should then 

 be looked for. On the other hand such a test is so little to 

 be trusted that in certain cases of indubitable insanity there 



