"Do you think he is dangerous?"
"His malady is a peculiar one, and arises from various causes. I do not think we need fear him."
"But see how he took that knife."
"That was simply an instinct; that of self-protection. Any other implement would have been as acceptable as a knife. Possibly, the sight of the knife, temporarily, may have brought back some glimmering remembrance of his sane moments."
"Do you think he is insane?"
"No; it does not appear to be of such a character. He seems to exhibit loss of memory. Imbecility, idiocy, and lunacy exhibit marked tendencies, and have been made the careful study of many eminent men, and it is even now one of the disorders least understood by the medical fraternity."
"What is a lunatic?"
"Blackstone, the great English authority on law, defines it as 'one that hath had understanding, but by grief, disease, or other accident hath lost the use of his reason.' This eminent authority also stated that lunatics may have frequent lucid intervals, and might enjoy the use of their senses during certain periods of the moon. It is from that source we are indebted to the still prevailing idea of the moon's influence on the human mind. That view was exploded long ago, and shown to have no foundation."
"What is the difference between a lunatic and an insane person?"
"The original term was lunatic, in accordance with Blackstone's definition; but in medical science the terms insanity and mental alienation have taken its place."