July 2, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



2] 



revolutions in Europe, the months of June and 

 July have the largest share ; November and 

 January, the smallest. So, too, heat is a factor. 

 Southern countries (Italy, Spain, Greece) have the 

 largest number of revolutions : northern countries 

 (Russia, Sweden, Norway) have the least. Geo- 

 graphical position and other physical causes could 

 be added. As social causes, Dr. Lombroso regards 

 the struggle for supremacy among the various 

 social castes or classes, a disharmony between the 

 existing civilization and the prevalent economic 

 conditions, an opposition between the political 

 forms and the national feeling and needs. Such 

 are the more constant occasions of revolutionary 

 outbreaks, as shown in history. Mere accidental 

 cu'cumstances, such as the appearance of a great 

 leader or writer, must also be considered. 



Finally, the following are the prominent an- 

 thropological causes : the co-existence of races not 

 readily assimilated, with, perphaps, a tendency to 

 political changes ; hereditary anomalies of charac- 

 ter, such as criminality and moral insanity ; or 

 acquired anomalies, as alcoholism and insanity. 

 All these go to form three classes of political de- 

 fectives, — criminals by heredity, by habit, and 

 by mental disease. These have furnished the sub- 

 ject-matter to the new science of criminal an- 

 thropology. 



One must not suppose, that, because these crimi- 

 nals are classed under the insane, they will not be 

 active in political crimes ; for though they may be 

 men of small intellect, yet the absence of the re- 

 straming power of a well-developed moral sense 

 makes the bridge between thought and action 

 shorter and smoother. A mere fanciful concep- 

 tion of possible crimes will take so strong a hold 

 on their minds that the act itself will follow. 

 More sensible and reflecting criminals would be 

 repelled by the consequences and dangers of the 

 act. In addition to this class of criminals, who 

 become breakers of the peace simply because that 

 happens to be the most accessible method of vent- 

 ing then* perverse instincts, there is another class, 

 who are led on by a wUd passion for the destruc- 

 tion of the old, and the creation of something 

 new. They need restless activity : their present 

 condition seems the w^orst possible. As a rule, 

 too, they are very fond of notoriety. They are in 

 love with crime. The pain of others is a keen 

 satisfaction to them : its horror attracts them. 

 The French revolution shows such types. Le- 

 jeune made a Httle guillotine, and used it on the 

 chickens destined for his table. Jean d'Heron 

 wore a human ear as a cockade on his hat, and 

 had others in his pockets. Carrier confessed that 

 the writhmgs of the priests whom he condemned 

 to torture gave him exquisite pleasure. 



The modern socialists, anarchists, and dynamit- 

 ers no doubt contain an element of these heredi- 

 tary criminals, w^ho use the political object as a 

 mask for their instinctive tendencies to lawless 

 outbreaks. The socialistic and the criminal types 

 of face present strong resemblances. In some cases 

 the introduction of such a criminal eleinent trans- 

 forms a purely political organization into a band 

 of outlaws : the MoUy-Maguires are an example of 

 this. 



All these facts urge the study of these defective 

 classes. Society has a right to defend itself against 

 these enemies of all peace and progress. But the 

 punishment must be directed to the removal of the 

 evil. The born criminal can readily be detected : 

 his craniological peculiarities, the absence of a 

 moral sense, the reckless cruelty of his deeds, 

 point him out. The treatment for these must aim 

 at removing all opportunities of indulging their 

 passions, for meeting others of their kind (for the 

 epidemic contagion of this disease is one of its 

 worst characteristics), for bringing into the world 

 others fated to follow in their footsteps. For their 

 children, houses of correction and careful discipline 

 should be at hand. 



The relation between insanity and crime is one 

 both of cause and of effect. Esquirol has shown 

 an increase of insanity and suicides at each out- 

 break of the French revolution. Lumier declares 

 that the excitements of 1870 and 1871 were the 

 more or less indirect causes of seventeen hundred 

 cases of insanity. This simply means that the 

 same morbid element, tending to pronounced in- 

 sanity in one direction and to pronounced crimi- 

 nality in another, is brought to the front by a 

 common cause. Very frequently, too, both ten- 

 dencies can be seen in the same individuals. 

 Marat, for example, had attacks of maniacal ex- 

 altation, and a passion for continually scribbling. 

 He had a sloping forehead, was prognathous, had 

 a prominent jaw and liigh cheek bones, and a hag- 

 gard eye, all of which correspond closely with the 

 insane type of face. Later his delusion of ambi- 

 tion changed into one of persecution and homi- 

 cidal monomania. Dr. Lombroso cites case after 

 case, all telling the same story. He includes 

 Guiteau in this list, and agrees with the opinion 

 of an Italian alienist, that his trial was sim^jly 

 ' scandalous.' The real place for such beings is 

 in a much needed institution, — an asylum for 

 insane criminals. 



A few words as to criminals who have acquired 

 their sinful traits. Alcohol is the most common 

 cause. This always plays a prominent role in po- 

 litical outbreaks : tlie French revolution is no ex- 

 ception. Here is another great practical problem 

 needing solution. 



