CONTENTS.
| [PART I.] | |
|---|---|
| THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GENIUS. | |
| [CHAPTER I.] | |
| PAGE | |
| History of the Problem | [1-4] |
| Aristotle—Plato—Democritus—Felix Plater—Pascal—Diderot—Modernwriters on genius. | |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| Genius and Degeneration | [5-37] |
| The signs of degeneration—Height—Rickets—Pallor—Emaciation—Physiognomy—Craniumand Brain—Stammering—Lefthandedness—Sterility—Unlikenessto Parents—Precocity—Delayeddevelopment—Misoneism—Vagabondage—Unconsciousness—Instinctiveness—Somnambulism—TheInspiration of Genius—Contrast—Intermittence—DoublePersonality—Stupidity—Hyperæsthesia—Paræsthesia—Amnesia—Originality—Fondness forspecial words. | |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| Latent Forms of Neurosis and Insanity in Genius | [38-65] |
| Chorea and Epilepsy—Melancholy—Megalomania—Folie dudoute—Alcoholism—Hallucinations—Moral Insanity—Longevity. | |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| Genius and Insanity | [66-99] |
| Resemblance between genius and insanity—Men and womenof genius who have been insane—Montanus—Harrington—Haller—Schumann—Gérardde Nerval—Baudelaire—Concato—Mainländer—Comte—Codazzi—Bolyai—Cardan—Tasso—Swift—Newton—Rousseau—Lenau—Széchényi—Hoffmann—Foderà—Schopenhauer—Gogol. | |
| [PART II.] | |
| THE CAUSES OF GENIUS. | |
| [CHAPTER I.] | |
| Meteorological Influences on Genius | [100-116] |
| The influence of weather on the insane—Sensitiveness of menof genius to barometrical conditions—Sensitiveness tothermometrical conditions. | |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| Climatic Influences on Genius | [117-132] |
| Influence of great centres—Race and hot climate—The distributionof great masters—Orographic influences—Influenceof healthy race—Parallelism of high stature andgenius—Explanations. | |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| The Influence of Race and Heredity on Geniusand Insanity | [133-150] |
| Race—Insanity—The influence of sex—The heredity of genius—Criminaland insane parentage and descent of genius—Ageof parents—Conception. | |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| The Influence of Disease on Genius | [151-152] |
| Spinal diseases—Fevers—Injuries to the head and their relationto genius. | |
| [CHAPTER V.] | |
| The Influence of Civilization and of Opportunity | [153-160] |
| Large Towns—Large Schools—Accidents—Misery—Power—Education. | |
| [PART III.] | |
| GENIUS IN THE INSANE. | |
| [CHAPTER I.] | |
| Insane Genius in Literature | [161-178] |
| Periodicals published in lunatic asylums—Synthesis—Passion—Atavism—Conclusion. | |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| Art in the Insane | [179-208] |
| Geographical distribution—Profession—Influence of the specialform of alienation—Originality—Eccentricity—Symbolism—Obscenity—Criminalityand moral insanity—Uselessness—Insanityas a subject—Absurdity—Uniformity—Summary—Musicamong the insane. | |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| Literary and Artistic Mattoids | [209-241] |
| Definition—Physical and psychical characteristics—Theirliterary activity—Examples—Lawsuit mania—Mattoidsof genius—Bosisio—The décadent poets—Verlaine—Mattoidsin art. | |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| Political and Religious Lunatics and Mattoids | [242-313] |
| Part played by the insane in the progressive movements ofhumanity—Examples—Probable causes—Religious epidemicsof the Middle Ages—Francis of Assisi—Luther—Savonarola—Colada Rienzi—San Juan de Dios—Campanella—ProsperEnfantin—Lazzaretti—Passanante—Guiteau—SouthAmericans. | |
| [PART IV.] | |
| SYNTHESIS. THE DEGENERATIVE PSYCHOSISOF GENIUS. | |
| [CHAPTER I.] | |
| Characteristics of Insane Men of Genius | [314-329] |
| Characterlessness—Vanity—Precocity—Alcoholism—Vagabondage—Versatility—Originality—Style—Religiousdoubts—Sexual abnormalities—Egoism—Eccentricity—Inspiration. | |
| [CHAPTER II.] | |
| Analogy of Sane to Insane Genius | [330-335] |
| Want of character—Pride—Precocity—Alcoholism—Degenerativesigns—Obsession—Men of genius in revolutions. | |
| [CHAPTER III.] | |
| The Epileptoid Nature of Genius | [336-352] |
| Etiology—Symptoms—Confessions of men of genius—Thelife of a great epileptic—Napoleon—Saint Paul—Thesaints—Philanthropic hysteria. | |
| [CHAPTER IV.] | |
| Sane Men of Genius | [353-358] |
| Their unperceived defects—Richelieu—Sesostris—Foscolo—Michelangelo—Darwin. | |
| [CHAPTER V.] | |
| Conclusions | [359-361] |
| Appendix | [363-366] |
| Index | [367-370] |
THE MAN OF GENIUS.
PART I.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF GENIUS.
CHAPTER I.
History of the Problem.
Aristotle—Plato—Democritus—Felix Plater—Pascal—Diderot—Modern writers on genius.
IT is a sad mission to cut through and destroy with the scissors of analysis the delicate and iridescent veils with which our proud mediocrity clothes itself. Very terrible is the religion of truth. The physiologist is not afraid to reduce love to a play of stamens and pistils, and thought to a molecular movement. Even genius, the one human power before which we may bow the knee without shame, has been classed by not a few alienists as on the confines of criminality, one of the teratologic forms of the human mind, a variety of insanity.
This impious profanation is not, however, altogether the work of doctors, nor is it the fruit of modern scepticism. The great Aristotle, once the father, and still the friend, of philosophers, observed that, under the influence of congestion of the head, “many persons become poets, prophets, and sybils, and, like Marcus the Syracusan, are pretty good poets while they are maniacal; but when cured can no longer write verse.”[5] And again, “Men illustrious in poetry, politics, and arts, have often been melancholic and mad, like Ajax, or misanthropic, like Bellerophon. Even in modern times such characters have been noted in Socrates, Empedocles, Plato, and in many others, especially poets.”[6]