He was a young man of some talents, and of various pursuits and acquirements, by far too many to be perfect in any one. Born with a large proportion of the family failing, his vanity had been fed by flattery and example, so much so, that it might be said he was bred in vanity’s hot-house; and ultimately, from over excitation, and too little collision with the world, he fancied himself a second Crichton. Of course with such an estimate of himself, it could not be otherwise but that he was constantly meeting with disappointments and mortifications, on his entrance into his profession, and the real business of life. From these causes, as well as from an increase at this time, of parental embarrassments and mortifications, (and home had always been an atmosphere of perpetual storms), from an hereditary scrofulous habit, and from his self-made morbid state, his mind was at last overwhelmed. But it is not my intention to enter into all the details of his history, further than to prove that the causes which produced his disease, and the form his insanity assumed, perfectly corresponded with each other.
On his arrival he was in a very exalted state of over-excitation; he was the greatest of men in every mental capacity and acquirement; all Philosophers, Poets, Painters, and Linguists, that had been, or were in existence, were nothing in comparison with himself, nor were their works to be compared with those he intended to execute, and the basis of which he had already formed in his own conception. Nothing could exceed the vain and pompous displays of his talents and acquirements; and it is impossible to conceive, from the difficulty he had to support his pretensions, with the defects under which he then laboured, what a very painful and ridiculous exhibition it produced. Still his vanity and exaggerated estimate of himself, combined with his ineffable contempt for others, remained unchecked. One feature was very striking; he possessed considerable powers of imitation, in the exercise of which he took great delight, and in pouring forth his contempt against others, he did it with the attitude and voice of Kemble; it was almost impossible not to feel the force of his manner, and against myself he was particularly severe, and his poignant expressions of contempt and indignity were most provoking and overwhelming. When, however, a change of state occurred, I felt so interested for his trembling and doubtful situation, that I had even a bed put up for him in my own room. I had always some case of this kind about me, and no one can conceive the sacrifice of health and comfort it cost me.
This case, as well as the last described, may perhaps be detailed more particularly in their proper place, to illustrate a general principle, of far more importance than even moral treatment. And even in moral treatment it will appear how important this general principle is, to enable us to perceive how we may best counteract the effects which may have arisen from the operation of baneful causes: for by it we shall be able to trace errors to their source, and without this, we can never counteract and cure them. And this we can only do with certainty, by possessing correct views of the origin, nature, and constitution of the human mind, and of the correspondence which exists between physical effects, and mental or spiritual causes: out of which views this general principle will be educed, and it will be found to be of universal application.
In this case it is evident, a system of moral and intellectual treatment was required, in order to counteract and cure the effects which had arisen out of the soil in which he had existed, very different from that which was necessary for the previous case; and it is equally evident, without such knowledge, it is more than probable that neither of these minds would ever have been restored to their balance, or right state.
He recovered, and his character appeared much improved by his severe visitation. He became very much attached to me, and wrote a great deal for me, as my amanuensis. It is worthy of remark, that he remained of choice for a considerable time after his health was re-established, on account of the dread he felt at returning to the place and circumstances where his disease had arisen.
It is remarkable also, that after he had been some weeks in private lodgings, assisting his father, in his profession at the Assizes, he, the very night previous to their intended return home, made his escape to America.
It is singular, that the first case I had, as an insane patient, after I left York, was his sister.
I might select a great number of cases, where I conceive such attention was apparently one principal cause of their recovery, and which I took under my more immediate care on this account, and to whom I devoted much of my time, and made many sacrifices of my comfort and convenience.
In order to show the importance of such attention, it will be necessary briefly to explain the description and character of the cases to which I more particularly allude, and that it may appear that these opinions are not new, I shall quote from the first part of this volume already published. I there say, “What is called mania and melancholia, are for the most part effects of the same power being overactive, but overactive in different directions.” If the distressing passions are overactive, we have melancholia,—if the animal propensities, we have furious mania,—and if the exhilirating passions, we have an exuberance of joyous activity.
“This is a view not before taken, and will account for much of the difference in the effect from the same cause. This melancholy, or state of depression, caused by the activity of the depressing passions, is to be distinguished from the state of exhaustion and debility, which succeeds some violent paroxysms, or which follows an exhausted state of body and mind from overexertion, and assumes either an apparent melancholy character, from torpor or partial suspension of mind, or is in reality a case of melancholia of the most miserable description, from the exclusive activity of these depressing passions, which are then more likely to become the sole masters of the field of action.” [16]