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I N S A 
brute ; he oppreffed the feeble, and avoided the fociety of 
thole more powerful than hirnfelf. Confiderable practice 
had taught him that he was the cat’s matter; and, when¬ 
ever this lucklefs animal approached him, he plucked out 
its whitkers with wonderful rapidity ; to ufe his own lan¬ 
guage, “ I muft have her beard off.” After this opera¬ 
tion, he commonly threw the creature on the fire, or 
through the window. If a little dog came near him, he 
kicked it; if a large one, he would not notice it. When 
he was fpoken to, he ufually fald, “ I do not choofe to 
anfwer.” When he perceived anv one who appeared to 
obferve him attentively, he always faid, “Now I will look 
unplealant.” The ufual games of children afforded him 
no amulement; whenever boys were at play, he never 
joined them-; indeed, the moft fingular part of his cha¬ 
racter was, that he appeared incapable of forming a friend- 
ihip with any one ; he felt no confiderations for fex, and 
would as readily kick or bite a girl as a boy. Of any 
kindnefs fhown him, he was equally infenfible; he would 
receive an orange as a prefent, and afterwards throw it in 
the face of the donor. To the man who looked after 
him he appeared to entertain fomething like an attach¬ 
ment ; when this perfon went out of the room, and pre¬ 
tended that he would go away, he railed a loud outcry, 
and faid, “ What will become of me, if he goes away ; I 
like him, for he carries the cane which makes me a good 
boy.” But it is much to be doubted whether he really 
bore an affeClion for his keeper; the man feerned to be of 
as different opinion, and faid, that when he grew older he 
Ihould be afraid to continue with him, as he was per- 
fuaded the boy would deftroy him whenever he found the 
means and opportunity. 
Of his own diforder he was fometimes fenfible; he would 
often exprefs a wifh to die, foi» he laid, “ God had not 
made him like other children and, when provoked, he 
would threaten to deftroy hirnfelf. During the time he 
remained here, I conduced him through the hofpital, and 
pointed out to him feveral patients who were chained in 
their cells; he difeovered no fear or alarm ; and, when I 
Ihowed him a mifehievous maniac who was more ItriCtly 
confined than the reft, he faid, with great emphafis, 
“ This would be the right place for me.” The event of 
this cafe is not known. 
The next caufe of infanity which we muft notice, is in¬ 
fane parents. Confiderable diverfity of opinion has pre¬ 
vailed, whether infanity be hereditary or not; and much 
lias been faid on both lides of this queftion. Great inge¬ 
nuity has been exerted to prove that this difeafe is acci¬ 
dental, or that there are fumcient caufes to account for its 
occurrence, without fuppofing it one of thofe calamities 
that “ fiefh is heir to.” It has been argued, that, if the 
difeafe were hereditary, it ought uniformly to be fo, and 
that the offspring of a mad parent Ihould neceffarily be¬ 
come infane. All theories and reafonings appear to be 
good for as much as they prove ; and if the term heredi¬ 
tary be employed with a degree of ftrictnefs, fo, as to de¬ 
note certain and infallible tranfmiftion, fuch inevitable 
defeent cannot be defended. Several inftances have come 
■under obfervation where the children of an infane parent 
have not hitherto been-affeCted with madnefs, and l'ome 
have died, early in life, without having experienced any de¬ 
rangement of mind. More time is therefore required. 
All observations concur in acknowledging that .ere are 
many circumftances in which children referable their pa¬ 
rents. It is very common to fee them referable one of 
their parents in countenance; and, when there are feveral 
children, forr.e (hall bear the likenefs of the father, and 
others of the mother. Children often poffefs the make 
and faftiioaof the body peculiar to one or other or their 
parents, together with their gait and voice; but that 
which has furprifed me moft (fays Mr. Haflara) is the 
refemblance of the hand-writing. If a parent had taught 
his fon to write, it might be expected that a confiderable 
funilarity would be detected; but in general the fa -61 ap¬ 
peals to be otherwife, for it feldom happens that the fcho- 
N I T Y. 
lars, though conftantly imitating the copy of the mafter, 
write at all like him, or like each other. In a few in¬ 
ftances I have noticed a correct refemblance between the 
hand-writing of the father and fon, where the former died 
before the latter had been taught the ufe of the pen, and 
who probably never faw the hand-writing of his father. 
The compiler of this article recolleCts a circumftance 
which very ftrongly confirms Mr. Haftam’s remark. He 
had an elder brother who went to America before he him- 
felf had learned either to write or read. When grown up 
to manhood, the brothers began to correfpond; .and, when 
the firft letter arrived from America, after a lapfe of fix- 
teen or eighteen years, the funilarity of the hand-writing 
to that of the younger brother and the father was a theme 
of obfervation and furprife in the family. The tranfmiftion: 
of perfonal deformities-is equally curious. I am acquaint¬ 
ed (continues Mr. Haflam) with a perfon in this town, 
whofe middle and ring finger are united, and a«St as one j 
all the children of this man carry the fame defeCt. A 
toe-nail, particularly twilled, has been traced through 
three generations, on the fame foot and toe. Abundant 
inftances might be adduced on this fubjeCl; there is 
fcarcely a family which cannot produce fomething in con¬ 
firmation; and, if to thefe circumftances in the human 
fpecies, were to be added the experiments which have been 
made on the breeding of cattle, perhaps little doubt would 
remain. 
The reafoners againft the tranfmiftion of madnefs urge, 
that, if the contrary were true, we Ihould by this time 
have detected the rule or law by which nature aCts, and 
that we Ihould have been able to determine, firft, whether 
the diforder defeended to the male or female children ac¬ 
cordingly as the father or mother was affeCted ; fecondly, 
which of the parents is moft capable of tranfmitting the 
difeafe; and thirdly, what alternations in the fucceffion 
take place : does it Ihift from the male to the female line? 
and does it mifs a generation, and afterwards return ?- 
Thefe, and a multitude of other queries, might be pro- 
pofed ; I believe much fafter than they could be anfwered. 
Nature appears to delight in producing new varieties, per¬ 
haps lefs in man than in other animals, and ftill lefs in the- 
animal than in the vegetable kingdom. Before thefe fub- 
tile reafoners expeCt, from thofe who maintain that mad¬ 
nefs generally defeends from the parent to. the offspring, 
a developement of the laws by which Nature acts, it would 
be convenient firft to fettle whether in this matter Ihe be 
under the dominion of any law whatever. 
Mr. Haflam concludes as follows : “ Having directed 
fome attention to enquiries of this nature, I am enabled 
truly to (late, that, where one of the parents has been- 
infane, it is more than probable that the offspring will be 
fimilarly affeCted.” Mr. Haflam fupports his opinions as 
ufual, by feveral interefting cafes ; for which we muft refer 
to his very judicious and ufeful publication. 
It has alfo been confidered, that intellectual labour fre¬ 
quently becomes a caufe of infanity ; that thofe, who are 
in the habit of exercifing the faculty of thought, for the 
perfection and prefervation of the re^fon of others, are 
thereby in danger of lofing their own. Mr. Haflam ri¬ 
dicules this idea; and the compiler of this article rather 
willies than believes that he is in the right. “ We hear 
much of this, (fays Mr. H.) from thofe who have copi- 
oully treated of this difeafe, without the toil of practical 
remark ; whofe heads become bewildered by the genflelt 
exercife, and to whom the recreation of thinking becomes 
the exciting caufe of ftupidity or delirium. Thefe per- 
fons enumerate, among the exciting oaufes of delirium, 
too great or too long-continued exertion of the mental 
faculties; as in the delirium which often fucceeds long- 
continued .and abftracl calculation, and the deliria to 
which men of genius are peculiarly fubjeCl. The mind 
of every man is capable of a definite quantity of exertion 
to good effeCl;. all endeavours, beyond that point, are 
impotent and perplexing. The attention is capable of 
being fixed to a certain extent; and, when that begins to 
3 - deviate. 
