yy PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTIONS. 
2nd. General statements are made. The patient is described 
as “suffering from great excitement,” “ reasoning illogically,” 
The English 
Commissioners in Lunacy have, it appears to me rightly, held 
th i 
and all vague and general statements are clearly inadmissible. 
“Great excitement,” ‘habitual intemperance,” and “reasoning 
illogically” are no proof of insanity. ‘ 
3rd. Irrelevant statements. Under this head come all statements 
as to the cause of the insanity, comments on or explanation of the 
oms, mention of the shape of the head or neurotic constitu- 
tion of the patient, and, under this heading would come also the 
self-complacent statement in a medical certificate received by Dr. 
by the medical practitioner himself, For instance “has not slept 
for several nights,” “has eaten nothing for four days,” facts 
probably, but facts which could not possibly have come under the 
personal observation of the writer. : 
5th. Defect of form, or faulty and incomplete way of putting 
_ valuable and convincing information, and this is the way in which 
the majority of certificates are open to criticism. The facts 
and when questioned he makes no reply and shows no signs 0! 
: ° hi : 
; means,” : : 
words “which isa delusion” or “which I know to bea delusion ‘ 
should be added in every case in which the insane opinion oF 
statement is not in itself unreasonable. When a man announces 
that he is an Emperor, or a Deity, or that devils catch him by 
nes throat, telephones talk to him through the ke: -holes, or ae 
the birds call him names as he passes through the fields, *¥® 
