40 INSANITY IN THE LOWER ANIMALS. 



1. Temporary, transient, momentary or ephemeral ; or 



2. Permanent, chronic, confirmed. It may also be, in 

 either case, while it lasts 



3. Continuous, without a break ; or 



4. Intermittent, remittent, paroxysmal or periodical, oc- 

 curring in fits at varying intervals, all as in human insanity. 



The frequency of recurrence of the attacks ; their number 

 in an animal's lifetime ; the duration of the interval between 

 each attack ; the nature of the interval, whether marked by 

 lucidity or recovery, are all points on which information is at 

 present desiderated. 



Practically the duration of animal insanity is generally de- 

 termined by man's habit of destroying all insane animals as 

 soon as their mental disability becomes apparent, and alarms 

 him by its supposed or real dangerousness. Thus it happens 

 that man's experience is confined almost entirely to recent or 

 acute cases lasting, that is, not more than from an hour or 

 two to a day or two. 



Mania in the lower animals is usually acute, ephemeral 

 or transitory, simply because it is not suffered by man or by 

 companion animals to become chronic. A dangerous animal 

 and every maniacal animal is necessarily dangerous is at 

 once sacrificed to man's or to the general safety. Neverthe- 

 less Pierquin describes chronic mania in the horse as charac- 

 terised by impetuosity, fury or ferocity, ungovernable temper, 

 general assaults on persons coming within its reach, and un- 

 amenability to punitive treatment, which is obviously, in such 

 a case, futile and out of place. 



The period of development of insanity in relation to season 

 is another subject on which definite information is required. 

 Attacks of the epidemic or epizootic forms are said to occur 

 mostly in summer and autumn (Ecker), an assertion, how- 

 ever, that requires confirmation. The only epidemic form of 

 insanity that is familiar or common, viz. panic or stampede 

 in horses or cattle, is not determined by causes that have any 

 special or direct relation to season, though there can be no 

 doubt of the direct effects of solar heat and of insect plagues 

 so common to the hot days of summer in producing acute 

 ephemeral mania, which may simultaneously affect a number 

 of animals. 



