A Study of Association in Insanity

by Grace Helen Kent; A. J. Rosanoff

Table—eat…………
Dark—cloudy……….
Music—fond………..19
Sickness—well……..
Man—human…………
Deep—ocean………..
Soft—fine………… 1
Eating—yes……….. 6
Mountain—yes……… 5
House—yes………… 5
Black—yes………… 5
Mutton—yes……….. 5
Comfort—yes………. 5
Hand—finger……….
Short—yes………… 6
Fruit—yes………… 5
Butterfly—yes…….. 5
Smooth—even……….
Command—obey………
Chair—settle………17
Sweet—bitter………
Whistle—can't……..19
Woman—lady………..
Cold—ice………….
Slow—fast…………
Wish—give…………
River—enjoyment……19
White—black……….
Beautiful—yes…….. 6
Window—pane……….
Rough—smooth………
Citizen—yes………. 6
Foot—one………….12
Spider—yes……….. 6
Needle—sewing……..
Red—blue………….
Sleep—nap…………17
Anger—willing……..19
Carpet—yes……….. 6
Girl—nature……….19
High—low………….
Working—artist…….17
Sour—sweet………..
Earth—world……….
Trouble—peaceful…..

Soldier—no………..12
Cabbage—vegetable….
Hard—soft…………
Eagle—American…….
Stomach—condition….
Stem—post…………17
Lamp—light………..
Dream—thinking……. 1
Yellow—green………
Bread—loaf………..
Justice—yes……….
Boy—human…………
Light—heaven………
Health—wealth……..
Bible—yes………… 6
Memory—yes……….. 5
Sheep—animal………
Bath—yes…………. 6
Cottage—yes………. 5
Swift—fast………..
Blue—gray…………
Hungry—no…………
Priest—yes……….. 6
Ocean—water……….
Head—human………..
Stove—coal………..
Long—short………..
Religion—yes……… 6
Whiskey—no………..12
Child—baby………..
Bitter—sweet………
Hammer—pincher…….17
Thirsty—drinking…..
City—population……
Square—circle……..
Butter—lard……….
Doctor—physician…..
Loud—low………….
Thief—penalty……..17
Lion—liar…………10
Joy—welcome……….17
Bed—sleep…………
Heavy—light……….
Tobacco—yes………. 6
Baby—human………..
Moon—natural………15
Scissors—no……….12
Quiet—yes………… 6
Green—shade……….
Salt—eat………….
Street—town……….
King—ruler………..
Cheese—eat………..
Blossom—blooming…..
Afraid—scared……..

CASE No. 6518.—C.Z. Perseveration shown by numerous instances of association to preceding reaction.

Table—horse……….19
Dark—wren…………10
Music—lark………..18
Sickness—cold……..
Man—woman………… 1
Deep—sea………….
Soft—hard…………
Eating—drinking……
Mountain—fountain….
House—barn………..
Black—stable………13
Mutton—cow………..
Comfort—horse……..18
Hand—lamb…………
Short—calf………..
Fruit—apples………
Butterfly—oranges…. 2
Smooth—peaches…….18
Command—plums……..18
Chair—bench……….
sweet—sugar……….
Whistle—drum………17
Woman—man………… 1
Cold—hot………….
Slow—fast…………
Wish—who………….12
River—water……….
White—blue………..
Beautiful—splendid…
Window—sashes…….. 2
Rough—ready……….
Citizen—Brooklyn…..
Foot—shoe…………
Spider—web………..
Needle—pin………..
Red—blue………….
Sleep—awake……….
Anger—bad………… 1
Carpet—sweeper…….
Girl—boy………….
High—low………….
Working—playing……
Sour—sweet………..
Earth—ground………
Trouble—wheelbarrow..19
Soldier—Mexican……17
Cabbage—potatoes…..
Hard—beets………..18
Eagle—carrots……..18
Stomach—peas………18
Stem—peas………… 5
Lamp—burning………
Dream—happy………. 1
Yellow—blue……….
Bread—green……….12
Justice—freedom……
Boy—girl………….
Light—burning……..
Health—strength……
Bible—prayerbook…..
Memory—thoughts…… 1
Sheep—lamb………..
Bath—water………..
Cottage—house……..
Swift—whist……….10
Blue—red………….
Hungry—eating……..
Priest—Father……..
Ocean—mother………18
Head—brother………18
Stove—sister………18
Long—freedom………15
Religion—smart…….19
Whiskey—wine………
Child—lamb………..19
Bitter—goat……….18
Hammer—nails………
Thirsty—dry……….
City—talking………19
Square—inches……..
Butter—cheese……..
Doctor—bread………13
Loud—oranges………15
Thief—almonds……..18
Lion—apples……….18
Joy—grapes………..18
Bed—peaches……….18
Heavy—cranberries….18
Tobacco—grapes…….18
Baby—watermelon……18
Moon—muskmelons……18
Scissors—citrons…..10
Quiet—squashes…….18
Green—pumpkins…….18
Salt—cucumbers…….18
Street—tomatoes……18
Kings—pears……….18
Cheese—apples……..18
Blossom—cherries…..
Afraid—gooseberries..18

CASE No. 5329.—B.W. Perseveration; record almost entirely made up of instances of association to preceding reaction.

Table—San Francisco…19
Dark—comprehensible…19
Music—sinking………
Sickness—Brooklyn…..19
Man—woman…………. 1
Deep—amazing……….19
Soft—pleasant……… 9
Eating—digesting……
Mountain—gulf………17
House—peninsula…….18
Black—Constantinople..18
Mutton—Bermuda……..18
Comfort—Los Angeles…18
Hand—Cuba………….18
Short—cities……….18
Fruit—Iowa…………18
Butterfly—England…..18
Smooth—Russia………18
Command—Turkey……..18
Chair—Manila……….18
Sweet—Porto Rico……18
Whistle—Washington….18
Woman—Cincinnati……18
Cold—Pittsburg……..18
Slow—Philadelphia…..
Wish—Milwaukee……..18
River—St. Louis…….18
White—Japan………..18
Beautiful—China…….18
Window—Berlin………18
Rough—Glasgow………18
Citizen—London……..18
Foot—Dublin………..18
Spider—Sacramento…..18
Needle—Texas……….18
Red—North Carolina….18
Sleep—Florida………18
Anger—Seattle………18
Carpet—Nevada………18
Girl—Iowa………….15
High—Virginia………18
Working—Louisiana…..18
Sour—Hawaii………..18
Earth—Connecticut…..18
Trouble—Rhode Island..18
Soldier—Vermont…….18
Cabbage—Massachusetts.18
Hard—Hudson………..18
Eagle—East River……18
Stomach—Staten Island.18
Stem—Kings Park…….18
Lamp—Fort Lee………18
Dream—Long Island…..18
Yellow—Greenport……18
Bread—Southold……..18
Justice—Northport…..18
Boy—New Jersey……..18
Light—Rome…………18
Health—Italy……….18
Bible—Episcopal…….17
Memory—Methodist……18
Sheep—Congregational..18
Bath—Baptist……….18
Cottage—minister……18
Swift—physician…….18
Blue—horse…………18
Hungry—cow…………18
Priest—Catholics…….
Ocean—lake………….
Head—bay……………13
Stove—sound…………18
Long—Island…………
Religion—Boston……..18
Whiskey—Harvard……..18
Child—Yale………….18
Bitter—Columbia……..18
Hammer—library………18
Thirsty—Carnegie…….18
City—Rockefeller…….18
Square—Harriman……..18
Butter—Leggitt………18
Doctor—Lincoln………18
Loud—Roosevelt………18
Thief—Taft………….18
Lion—Gaynor…………18
Joy—Slocum………….18
Bed—Grant…………..18
Heavy—McClellan……..18
Tobacco—Spain……….19
Baby—New London……..18
Moon—Newburgh……….18
Scissors—Troy……….18
Quiet—Schenectady……18
Green—Lake George……18
Salt—Vienna…………18
Street—Alsace Lorraine.18
King—Garfield……….17
Cheese—McKinley……..18
Blossom—Bryan……….18
Afraid—Blaine……….18

MANIC-DEPRESSIVE INSANITY.

In this disorder the departures from the normal seem to be less pronounced than in the psychoses considered above. The number of individual reactions is in most cases not greatly above the normal average; and, so far as their character is concerned, we find that many of them are classed as normal, in accordance with the appendix to the frequency tables; among the unclassified reactions, which are quite frequent here, we find mostly either obviously normal ones, or some of the type to which we have already referred as "far-fetched," while others among them are "circumstantial" (see p. 25); further we find that most of the remaining individual reactions fall into the general group of partial dissociation: non-specific reactions, sound reactions, word complements, and particles.

In some cases the only abnormality that is found is that of an undue tendency to respond by non-specific reactions, most of them being common and there being no excessive number of individual reactions. It would seem legitimate to assume that this tendency is here to be regarded as a manifestation of the phenomenon which is clinically described as dearth of ideas. It is significant that this tendency is observed not only in depressive phases of the psychosis, but also in manic phases and even in the normal intervals of recurrent cases or after apparent recovery in acute cases; this will be seen from some of the test records which are here reproduced.

Occasionally cases are met with which give a large number of unclassified reactions, seemingly incoherent. There can be no doubt that at least some of these cases are clinically perfectly typical ones of manic-depressive insanity, yet the test records strongly resemble, in some respects, those of dementia præcox.