There is nothing on record, but I have been informed that the cause was religious controversy, resulting from association with the followers of Johanna Southcote. { 195} He was the son of a respectable country wright and joiner, and had a decent ordinary education.
His present state of mind presents a strange mass of confusion from which nothing can be drawn or collected, except that from his fondness for drawing houses, and different things connected with building, and from his muttering to himself (for he declines all conversation with others) something about measurement, the square being so much, &c. some traces of his former habits of life, may be remarked and determined: the strange and absurd material views of the coming new order of things, betray the view which did (and I am told, still,) belong to that sectarian delusion. He is chiefly distinguished by his unsocial habits, and by the singular practice of always cramming a part of his meat, and sometimes other things, into his ears, shoes, breeches, and different parts of his dress.
Once for all, I must say of these old cases, since there is no book or documents concerning them, that the origin, nature, and progress of the disease cannot now be known except from enquiries directly made, either by writing, or of such friends as may occasionally visit them; and with many of these lower class of patients, it cannot of course surprise us that they should not have any friends to visit them after such a lapse of time. This is more likely to be the fact when the character of the case is of a more revolting nature—as is very singularly so of the one I am about to describe. Yet she has had visitors, from whom, however, I was not able to gather any information upon which I could depend; her insanity was said to be hereditary, she having a sister who is insane.
She is one of those old cases which, in former times in this institution, were kept naked in loose straw and not allowed seats; and hence she now, from this deprivation, sits huddled up, resting on her calves, when worn out by her violence, curled up like an urchin in a corner in a sort of dog sleep, the slightest noise instantly rousing her, when she starts into her strangely agitated state,—shaking her head and gnashing her teeth, and uttering horrible curses with a sort of barking, hoarse, and hideous gutteral sound, apparently against some object present to her imagination; in this violence she formerly continued, sometimes for weeks, latterly only for days, with the most part only for hours, with scarcely any intermission. In fact, she was in appearance and manner the most brutal and blasphemous demon—no imagination can picture any thing at all equal to the awful reality; and yet it is a remarkable fact, that, some years since, her intellect was restored by a very decided physical cause, the breaking of her leg; when, during the process of the bone uniting, her reason returned: her manners were mild, grateful, and affable, and the tone of her voice was soft and sweet; and again, when her leg was healed, she relapsed into the same violent state. It has continued, excepting a short convalescence during an attack of dysentery: and this is now more than seven years ago; and after which, an artificial drain was kept open, but with no apparent benefit; the dysenteric attack was also imitated, but with no further benefit or effect than its mere physical depressing influence at the time. It is worthy of notice, that when taken to the swing { 198} a second time, she talked more sensibly, refrained from swearing, promised to behave better, and in a sweet tone begged not to be swung: since this time, she has been less violent, has shaken her head and sworn less than before; indeed she has a more good-natured manner, and very often expends her excitement in mirthful dancing and singing, and generally seizes my hand, that I may dance with her.