KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



171 



a consequence of the derangement of the intellec- 

 tual faculties ; oftentimes the propensities or the 

 moral sentiments alone suffer, and the mind or 

 intellectual faculties remain perfectly sane. These 

 various considerations render it very difficult to 

 pass judgment correctly on the innocence or the 

 guilt of equivocal actions. 1 shall, consequently, 

 add some new views on the natural history of 

 mental alienation, considered in its relation to 

 medicine, to jurisprudence, and to legislation. 



To enahle my readers the better to understand 

 the nature of mental alienation, I shall compare it 

 with other known maladies. Every one knows, 

 that, in intermittent fevers, in attacks of epilepsy, 

 and in many other maladies, the health seems to 

 be perfect as soon as the paroxysm has passed. 

 It is also known, that if the disease has a regular 

 course, the paroxysms manifest themselves under 

 their true form. But frequently the primitive 

 and ordinary symptoms of the same disease change 

 so much, that it declares itself under a form 

 altogether different. Thus, an intermittent fever 

 shows itself sometimes under the guise of a 

 simple stitch in the side, or of a simple tooth- 

 ache. The mask which the disease then assumes 

 does not change its nature ; it demands the same 

 treatment which we employ to cure it, when it 

 appears under its habitual form. 



On the other hand, each viscus in particular 

 may be diseased while the others remain sound. 

 Each sense in particular may be deranged in 

 function, while the functions of the remainder 

 continue to be exercised without difficulty. 



Mental alienation is likewise subjected to the 

 laws of organisation. Sometimes its attack is 

 intermittent; and, in this case, the paroxysm 

 having terminated, it might be thought that the 

 health of the subject was not at all impaired. At 

 other times, the intermittent alienations present 

 themselves under appearances wholly different. 

 Certain periods of development, the approach of 

 certain accidental or periodical evacuations, the 

 difference of ages, the influence of seasons, of 

 temperature, of food, of the place of residence, of 

 the state of the mind ; all the causes, in fact, 

 which determine the crises, may produce the 

 most considerable differences in the form and in 

 the symptoms of the paroxysms, according as 

 these cases are variously modified. The indi- 

 vidual, who, in preceding paroxysms, seemed a 

 fury let loose, may. in the following one, devote 

 all his time to the exercises of the most fervent 

 piety; and he, who, to-day, gives himself to the 

 excesses of the most noisy enjoyment, may, to- 

 morrow, be plunged in the deepest melancholy. 



Each organ of the qualities of the mind, and, 

 consequently, each faculty of the mind and soul, 

 may also experience derangement, while the rest 

 continue to act in their natural order. In this 

 case, such or such a sensation or idea, alone 

 varies from the natural laws ; and, according as 

 this state is permanent or intermittent, we may 

 say that the man has a fixed permanent or inter- 

 mittent idea, or a fixed permanent or intermittent 

 sensation or inclination. We easily conceive, 

 then, why, in a state of real alienation, the 

 intellectual faculties of a superior order, such as 

 memory, judgment, imagination, often remain un- 

 touched. 



AUTO -EIOGRAFHY OF A DOG,— No. XXIII. 



WRITTEN RY HIMSELF. 



( Continued from Page 104 ?> ) 



In order, my dear friend, to make the singular 

 scene which terminated my last perfectly intelli- 

 gible to you, I must explain that " La Nannette" 

 and the mother of Susanne C were sisters ; con- 

 sequently she was Nannette's niece, and sister to 

 R. O, Nannette's nephew. Nannette had a little 

 heritage, or rather share of an heritage, at Lutry, in 

 the shape of a small vineyard, whose produce was 

 divided between herself and (I think) two sisters. 

 The greater portion, however, belonged to the 



mother of Susanne C . Her mother and the 



other sister and herself were as respectable, 

 honest, and honorable, as Nannette and David 

 were the contrary. Susanne C was a pecu- 

 liarly straightforward, upright girl, as well as a 

 sound religious character ; unfortunately, her 



brother R was a very bad fellow, addicted to 



many vices which were easily and quickly de- 

 veloped and encouraged under the tutelage of 

 David. 



.Now the real truth was this, as you will see by 

 the examination. On the very evening, and at 

 the very hour when David and Nannette swore 

 they were at the Piute, they were quietly working 

 in the vineyard at Lutry, with their son and 

 nephew. David and Nannette, out of sheer 



revenge, had entered into the plans of E , the 



pintier; and being continually excited and regaled 



by R , he got so wild he cared not what he 



said or did. He compelled his son to confirm 

 falsehoods by fear of punishment if he disobeyed; 

 whilst by bribery he had equally succeeded with 

 his nephew 7 . Nor was he behindhand in trying 

 to snare his niece; but she, like an honest girl, 

 disdained all his bribes. He succeeded, however, 

 in getting her invited by a relation who lived in a 

 little retired village between Yevay and Bulle ; 

 thus thinking she would at all events be out of 

 the way. The only other person he had to fear 

 would be out of the way too, as the mother of 



Susanne C was not at work in the vine, on 



that day, and consequently could say nothing. 



It so happened, however, that Jean got some 

 scent of all this, and went to Lutry to try and find 

 the girl. He traced her to the village where she 

 had been; but it appeared that, under pretext 

 of a visit to some friends for a week or so, they 

 had removed her; and Jean could obtain no clue to 

 her whereabouts. So he returned next morning; 

 told his story to the " Juge de Taix ; " procured a 

 proper warrant ; and, in company with an officer 

 whom he well knew and who also well knew the 

 girl, returned to the village where he suspected she 

 was. Jean's engagements, however, did not 

 allow him to remain ; so he left his friend, who, 

 to avoid being recognised, went about in plain 

 clothes in all the little villages. At last, the very 

 evening before the trial, he espied her at the door 

 of a little cottage, knitting. 



" Well, Susanne, bonjour I " said the officer ; 

 " I have been looking for you a long while." 



Looking for me, — and why? 



Being a friend of the family with whom she was 

 staying, he soon explained his business, and 

 guaranteeing her against all harm, he went away 

 and procured a little char-a-banc; passing the night 



