Chapter III: Part 3

All honour to these ladies, who, having learnt the elementary truth that privileges involve responsibilities, instead of hiding their talents in the napkin of selfishness, prefer to go forth as messengers of mercy, to try and flash the electric fire of philanthropy into the slumbering hearts of others, and to induce them to join in their grand and good work. They thus become a force and a factor of influence with all around them, and their reward will be the satisfaction of feeling that they are contributing their part in the great work of elevating these stricken members of our race, from their present unhappy and degraded condition to a higher position in the scale of created intelligence.

* * * * *

I trust I have said enough to show that the idiot ought and must be cared for; and in asking for your support, I will also ask you whether anything can be more gratifying than, as the result of scientific treatment, to see the idiot standing erect, asserting his birthright, and claiming brotherhood with the rest of the human family.

True philanthropy never stops short of the remotest boundary of human want, and in urging upon you the claims of the Eastern Counties' Asylum for Idiots, I would have you remember that I am pleading for a class who cannot plead for themselves, and whose very silence is eloquent with an appeal for your merciful aid.

Remember that these poor stricken individuals are members of the human family. They are heirs with us of all that human beings may hope for from the hands of a common Father. They possess the rudiments of all human attributes, especially the distinctive attribute of educability and of progressive improvement; their bodies are the vehicles which carry souls never destined to perish, through the series of ages, and when the walls of the cottages of clay in which their better part has sojourned collapse, and they mingle with their kindred dust, the freed inhabitants shall wing their way to brighter regions and to a more enduring home, and will thus illustrate the beautiful sentiment of one of our modern poets, when he said:

"In death's unrobing room we strip from round us
This garment of mortality and earth,
And breaking from the embryo-state which bound us,
Our day of dying is our day of birth."

Each person here belongs to one of two classes. Either you have one of these unhappy beings in your own immediate circle, or you have not. If you have, you can feel all the more for those who are similarly afflicted with yourselves, but have not your means for mitigating their dire distress, and you will think of the narrow home of the humble artisan or labourer, rendered intolerable by the constant presence of one of these afflicted members of our race. If, on the other hand, you have been spared this overwhelming calamity in your own family, and have had the joy of watching the dawn of infant intelligence, and have experienced the delight of seeing the capacities shown in the early life of your own children gradually ripen and develop into the intelligence of manhood, you will look with an eye of pity on the numerous households rendered miserable by the intolerable incubus of the presence in their midst of an idiot child, and will, I am sure, consider any assistance you can render to so good a cause in the light of a thank-offering.

The wear and tear of an excitable idiot child has wrecked many a family and reduced it to pauperism, for not only is such child a dead weight on the material prosperity of the family, but the hands of those who have to work for their livelihood, are sadly tied and hampered, when such an inmate has to be constantly looked after in the home; the labour by which the household is supported is often interrupted by one who can contribute nothing to the common stock, and the time which is so precious to hard-working people must, in part at all events, be occupied in caring for the one, who, if uncared for and neglected, must sink lower in the social scale and fall into a still more degraded condition. The care and treatment of the idiot, therefore, becomes a vital question of Political Economy; for by relieving a household of the burden and anxiety incident to the care of the afflicted child, the parents are enabled to devote all their energies to the support of their family. Moreover, there is often a moral aspect corresponding with the mental aspect of this question, and the presence of an idiot often becomes a source of real danger. Our able superintendent, Mr. Turner, in his interesting report for the year 1895, has illustrated the terrible anxiety caused by the presence of an idiot child in the homes of the poor, by the history of an inmate of our Asylum, who, when at home, being left to mind the baby, blacked its face all over with soot, so that when his mother returned, she might think she had a black baby. On another occasion, his little sister wanted some water, and he told her to drink out of the kettle on the fire, by which she nearly lost her life. This boy, who was evidently a type of the mischievous class of idiots, was once turned out of the Parish Church during service, for pricking another boy with a pin, so that he yelled out and disturbed the whole congregation. Two cases of murder by idiots have been recorded in a report of the Commissioners on Idiocy to the General Assembly of Connecticut; an idiot girl, being left alone with an infant, killed it by striking it on the head with a flat iron; and another vicious idiot killed a man who was working with him, by striking him on the head with a shovel. Esquirol also records the case of an idiot in the Salzburg Hospital, who killed a man by severing his head from his body with a hatchet, and then calmly seated himself by the side of the dead body.[55]

Philanthropists of the Eastern Counties of England, many of you have been long accustomed to sympathise with suffering and want; here is another outlet for your charitable efforts. The most illustrious landowner in East Anglia has recently extended his Royal patronage to this institution, especially established for the care of idiots from the four counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire; and his Royal Consort the Princess of Wales has most graciously consented to accept the position of Patroness of the Ladies' Association, thus showing the deep interest that is felt by their Royal Highnesses in this important Eastern Counties' Charity. I ask you to follow their noble example; I ask you to come and help us in our attempts to rescue a large section of the human family from the worse than Cimmerian darkness in which they have been hitherto enshrouded; come and help us to awaken faculties hitherto dormant, to restore lost minds, to arouse these unhappy beings from a moral death to a new birth of perception and feeling; come and help us in arousing the slumbering power to utterance, and you shall hear the once silent tongue eloquent with the outgushings of a liberated spirit.

In conclusion, I wish to reiterate and to emphasise the statement, that these unfortunate members of the human family possess the tripartite nature of man--body, soul, and spirit--σωμα, ψυχη, πνευμα; they have the _germ_ of intellectual activity and of moral responsibility, and this germ, cherished and nourished by the genial warmth of human kindness, fenced round and protected from the blasts and buffetings of the world by the cords of true philanthropy, watered by the dew of human sympathy, although possibly only permitted to bud here, is destined hereafter to expand into a perfect flower, and flourish perennially in another and a better state of being.

"Eternal process moving on,
From state to state the spirit walks.
All these are but the shattered stalks
Or ruined chrysalis of one."

FOOTNOTES:

[39] A society has lately been formed under the name of "The National Association for promoting the welfare of the Feeble-minded," the object of which is to establish homes for defective and feeble-minded children of a class more highly-endowed with intelligence than those who would be received into an ordinary idiot asylum; statistics having shown that ignorance and mental dulness tend to crime in various forms. Without expressing any very decided opinion upon the above project, it seems to me that the unnecessary multiplication of charitable institutions is itself an evil, and is not calculated to promote efficiency or economy; and if special provision is made for those just above the highest class of idiots, as is proposed, the present Idiot Asylums must necessarily suffer. Without, therefore, in any way disparaging the above scheme, I would suggest great caution in reference to it, as it is impolitic and unwise to make fresh demands upon a philanthropic public, unless the need for it is clearly established, as the result must inevitably be the diversion of funds from existing institutions already doing a good and charitable work.

[40] Maladies Mentales, Tome ii., p. 76, par E. Esquirol, médecin en chef de la maison royale des aliénés de Charenton. "Les idiots sont ce qu'ils doivent être pendant tout le cours de leur vie. On ne conçoit pas la possibilité de changer cet état. Rien ne saurait donner aux malheureux idiots, même pour quelques instants, plus de raison, plus d'intelligence."

[41] "Mentally deficient children," page 110.

[42] This painstaking observer has investigated this subject in an interesting communication on Sporadic Cretinism in the "Edinburgh Medical Journal" for May, 1893. Dr. Ireland considers Sporadic Cretinism to be a congenital or infantile form of myxœdema, and bearing in mind the increasing mental torpor which has followed the ablation of the thyroid gland performed by Kocher, and the cretinoid condition induced in monkeys by the removal of the thyroid by Horsley, he is drawn to the conclusion that this gland secretes and pours something into the blood which has a powerful effect upon the nutrition and function of the brain, and of the whole organism, and these views receive a certain amount of confirmation from the fact that in most cases of Sporadic Cretinism the thyroid gland is totally wanting. Dr. Ireland also expresses the opinion, in which I fully concur, that there is too much solidism in our pathology, and that the vital powers of the blood have been too much overlooked.

Although the effect of thyroid treatment in the idiot is still _sub judice,_ there is overwhelming testimony of its value in Myxœdema, an allied affection; and I would refer those who desire further information upon this matter to an important discussion at the Edinburgh Medico-Chirurgical Society, in February, 1893, arising out of papers read by Professor Greenfield, Dr. Byrom Bramwell, Dr. Lundie, Dr. Dunlop, and Dr. John Thomson, when important additions were made to the literature of this affection by Dr. Affleck, Dr. George Murray, and others, whose matured views will form a valuable contribution to our knowledge of this somewhat obscure subject.

[43] "Pediatrics," May, 1896, p. 460.

[44] I give M. Voisin's description of the symptoms in his own words. "Elle est arrivée dans mon service en état d'extase mystique, exécutant continuellement des mouvements de ses deux mains, surtout de la droite, semblables à ceux d'une personne en prière; elle porte souvent les mains à son front comme pour faire le signe de la croix. Elle murmure des mots, entre autres, _Ave Maria_. La physiognomie exprime la douleur mêlée d'extase."

[45] "Edinburgh Medical Journal," May, 1893, p. 1053.

[46] "Edinburgh Hospital Reports," Vol. 3, 1895, p. 245. "This is the most complete monograph on thyroid treatment that has come under my notice. Dr. Bramwell has recorded, in minute detail, the clinical history of twenty-three cases of myxœdema, and five cases of sporadic cretinism."

[47] "Journal of Mental Science," April, 1895, p. 280.

[48] "British Medical Journal," Jan. 30th, and Feb. 6th, 1892, "Remarks on the Function of the Thyroid Gland." I recommend a careful perusal of this important and exhaustive essay of Professor Horsley to all those who desire to acquaint themselves with what is known about the structure and functions of the thyroid gland; for it will be remembered that it is to the experiments on animals by this learned and accomplished scientist, that we are principally indebted for our knowledge of the connection between myxœdema and loss of function of the thyroid gland.

[49] "Traitement et Education des Enfants Idiots et Dégénérés," p. 241, par M. Bourneville, Médecin de Bicêtre, Paris, 1895. The author of the above treatise is one of the most prolific French writers on Idiocy, and I desire to call especial attention to that part of the work which embraces the Medico-Pedagogic Treatment of Idiocy. In this section, M. Bourneville describes in minute detail the gymnastic and physical training adopted at Bicêtre, the description being copiously illustrated by plates, which cannot fail to interest those engaged in the treatment of idiocy.

[50] "Journal of Anatomy and Physiology," January, 1895, p. 304.

[51] "Pediatrics," March, 1896, p. 243.

[52] "On Idiocy and Imbecility," page 91.

[53] As showing the result of individual effort, I may mention that in the year 1894, as much as £155 0s. 7d. was collected in the N. Walsham District, £89 12s. 9d. in the Norwich District, and £80 15s. 6d. in the Diss District, under the presidentship respectively of Mrs. Petre, Lady Lade, and Mrs. Sancroft Holmes.

[54] The Countess of Warwick, at the "Young Helpers' League."

[55] Des Maladies Mentales, Tome ii., p. 103.

INDEX.

Affleck, Dr., 93

Alcoholic stimulants as a factor in the genesis of idiocy, 26
abuse of, in Sweden, 29
effects of, in France, 31
Sir B.W. Richardson on, 30

Anæmia, as the result of thyroid feeding, 97

Anderson, Mrs. Garrett, on Sex in Education, 37

Andriessen, on the cerebral convolutions of idiots, 51

Animals, relation between
their intelligence and the
size of their brain, 49

Association of idiots with
the insane, a disadvantage
to both classes, 19

Aveyron, the savage of the, 18

Beach, Fletcher, 25, 27, 28

Besant, Sir Walter, 76

Birth, injuries of the head at, 48

Blood, analysis of, in
thyroid feeding, 96
supply of, varies in the two sexes, 37

Bourneville, on Craniectomy, 101

Brain, average weight of, in men and women, 46
chemistry of the, 52
difference between that of a senior wrangler and that of an idiot, 43
difference in the two sexes, 37
microscopical appearance of, in idiots, 51
of gorilla and ourang-outang, 75
size and weight, in proportion to intellectual power, 43
structure of, in men of genius, 44

Bramwell, Byrom, 93, 98

Browne, Sir J. Crichton, on Sex in Education, 36

Browne, Sir Thomas, 79

Bruce, Lewis C., on thyroid feeding, 95

Burton-Fanning, 94

Caird, Mrs. Mona, 39

Causes of idiocy, 23

Cicero, 69

Classification, 17

Consanguine marriages, 32

Convolutions of the brain
in men of genius, and in those of low culture, 45
in idiots, 51

Couerbe, on the rôle of phosphorus in the brain, 52

Craniectomy, 101
statistics of, 103

Cranium, early closure of the sutures of, 101

Cranium, form of the, and
its connection with
idiocy, 43

Cross, Lord, on habitual
drunkards, 31

Crossley House, 107

Cuvier, brain of, 46

Dahl, Ludwig, 25, 29

Dana, on Craniectomy, 102

Definition of idiocy, 15

Dunlop, 93

Edinburgh Medico-Chirurgical
Society, discussion at, 92

Educational Overpressure, on, 35
has induced suicide in children, 41

Esquirol, 85, 118

Faculty a, must not be
confounded with its
material organ, 63

Forceps, use of, as a cause
of idiocy, 48

Fraser, Professor, anæmia
following thyroid feeding, 97

Frere, Bartle, 20

Froude, 77

Gambetta, the brain of, 46

Genius, a neurosis, 53
its relation to cerebral structure, 44

Goethe, 69

Greenfield, Professor, 93

Gynagogues, 40

Hammond, G.M., 93

Hammond, Prof. W.A., 49, 60

Heredity, its rôle in idiocy, 25

Horsley, Victor, Prof., 90, 100

Howe, 26, 33

Humphry, Sir George, on
Craniectomy, 102

Idiocy, causes of, 23
classification of, 17
definition of, 15
its bearing on Evolution, 72
moral aspect of, 117
pathological anatomy of, 43
should not be confounded with insanity, 19
social aspect of, 116

Idiot, the, description of, 22
his association with the insane a disadvantage, 19
his claims on society, 12, 114
phosphorus in the brain of, 52
possesses the tripartite nature of man, 120

Intellectual differences
between men and women, 36

Intemperance of parents,
a factor in idiocy, 26

Ireland, W.W., 18, 25, 34, 42, 47, 90, 103

Janet, Paul, on phosphorus
in the brain, 53

Kerlin, 27

Kirkby, 91

Kocher, 90

Ladies' Association, 108

Langdon-Down, 17, 30, 33, 48

Lassaigne, 53

Lelut, on the cranium of
idiots, 44

Lewes, G.H., 63

Lewi, 93

Lunatic Asylums, not
adapted for idiots, 19

Lundie, 93

Lunier, 31

Luys, on the brain of idiots, 51

Lynn Linton, Mrs., on
women's sphere of usefulness, 38

Massachussetts report on idiocy, 26

Matter and mind, 55

Mierzejewski, on the brain of idiots, 58

Millard, W., 78

Mind, independent of its material organ, 66

Mingazzini, on the cerebral convolutions, 44

Moleschott, 52

Moreau, on hereditary predisposition, 25
his ideas on genius, 53

Murray, G., 90, 93

New York Academy of Medicine, discussion at, 93

Norway, prevalence of idiocy in, 28

Odium theologicum, 73

Parental intemperance, 27

Parker, Rushton, 99

Pathological anatomy of idiocy, 43

Permanent Endowment Fund, 82

Phosphorus, its relation to intellectual vigour, 52

Plato, 22, 64

Pneuma, an attribute of the idiot, 71

Psychological Congress in Paris, 58

Richardson, Sir B.W., on the effects of alcohol, 30

Saeger, 87

Schiff, 90

Science and Theology should not be antagonistic, 74

Séguin, 15, 35

Sex in Education, on, 36

Shakespeare, his definition of idiocy, 15

Shuttleworth, 28, 33, 50, 87

Sidney, 80

Strahan, 41

Sweden, alcoholic abuse in, 31

Telford-Smith, on sporadic cretinism, 99

Thomson, J., 93, 99

Thucidides, 21

Thyroid feeding, 90
psychical effects of, 100

Toussenel, 29

Toxic idiocy, 28

Treatment of idiocy, 81
medico-pedagogic, 102
satisfactory results of, at the Eastern Counties' Asylum, 88

Trousseau, on consanguine marriages, 35

Turner, J.J. C., 33, 117

Vacherot, 58

Voisin, Auguste, 51, 95

Wagner, 45

Westcott, 41

Westfelt, on the influence of alcohol on progeny and race, 31

Wilbur, 28

Wilmath, 44

Winn, 67

EASTERN COUNTIES'

ASYLUM FOR IDIOTS,

COLCHESTER.

_Instituted 1st February, 1859._

Patron:

H.R.H. THE PRINCE OF WALES, K.G.

Presidents:

THE MOST NOBLE THE DUKE OF NORFOLK, E.M., K.G.
THE MOST HON. THE MARQUIS OF LOTHIAN, K.T.
THE MOST HON. THE MARQUIS OF BRISTOL.
THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF WARWICK.
THE RIGHT HON. THE EARL CADOGAN, K.G.
THE RIGHT REV. THE LORD BISHOP OF ST. ALBANS.
THE RIGHT REV. THE LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD WALSINGHAM.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD BRAYBROOKE.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD GWYDYR.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD HENNIKER.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD RENDLESHAM.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD RAYLEIGH.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD DE SAUMAREZ.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD CARLINGFORD.
THE RIGHT HON. LORD TOLLEMACHE.
THE HON. AND REV. CANON NEVILLE.
THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
WILLIAM BIRKBECK, ESQ.

Vice-Presidents:

The Hon. W.F. D. Smith, M.P.
The Rev. Sir W. Hyde Parker, Bart.
Sir Reginald P. Beauchamp, Bart.
Sir Alfred Sherlock Gooch, Bart.
Sir Charles C. Smith, Bart.
Sir Brydges Powell Henniker, Bart.
Sir Francis G.M. Boileau, Bart.
Sir Fowell Buxden, Bart., K.C.M.G.
Sir Savile B. Crossley, Bart.
Sir Edward Green, Bart.
Sir Walter Gilbey, Bart.
Sir Weetman Pearson, Bart., M.P.
The Very Rev. Dean Goulburn.
The Very Rev. the Dean of Norwich.
The Very Rev. the Dean of Ely.
Charles H. Berners, Esq.
Lieut-Colonel Bramston
Henry E. Buxton, Esq.
Professor Duncan, F.R.S.
Robert T. Gurdon, Esq.
Colonel Lockwood, M.P.
Rev. Charles John Martyn, M.A.
Captain Pretyman, M.P.
Arthur Pryor, Esq.
W. Cuthbert Quilter, Esq., M.P.
Hector John Gurdon Rebow, Esq.
H.C. Wells, Esq.

Board of Directors:

_Chairman_--THE MOST HON. THE MARQUIS OF BRISTOL.

_Vice-Chairman_--ADMIRAL W.G. LUARD, C.B.

_Treasurer_--HORACE G. EGERTON GREEN, ESQ.

ALEXANDER, WILLIAM, ESQ.
BACK, PHILIP, ESQ.
BARNARD, WILLIAM, ESQ.
BARNARDISTON, COLONEL
BATEMAN, SIR F., M.D., LL.D.
BATEMAN, JOHN, ESQ.
BEVAN, BECKFORD, ESQ.
BULLARD, SIR HARRY, M.P.
BURKE, LIEUT.-COLONEL
BURTON, SAMUEL C., ESQ.
CADGE, W., ESQ.
CHAMBERLIN, A. R., ESQ.
CHANCELLOR, F., ESQ.
COLMAN, J.J., ESQ.
COURTAULD, GEORGE, ESQ.
DAKIN, W. H, ESQ.
DUCKETT, REV. CANON, D.D.
EDWARDS, H.W. B., ESQ.
EGERTON-GREEN, CLAUDE, ESQ.
GARRETT, HENRY N., ESQ.
GODFREY, CHARLES, ESQ.
GREENE, E. WALTER, ESQ.
HARVEY, E.K., ESQ.
HOARE, CHARLES R.G., ESQ.
HUNT, E.A., ESQ.
IMAGE, W.E., ESQ.
IND, CAPTAIN
KELSO, CAPTAIN, R.N.
MACANDREW, W., ESQ.
MARTYN, REV. C.J.
MERRIMAN, W., COLONEL, C.I.E.
MONTAGU, GENERAL., C.B., R.E.
PACKARD, EDWARD, ESQ.
PAPILLON, PHILIP O., ESQ.
PATTESON, H.S., ESQ.
PAXMAN, JAMES, ESQ.
ROWLEY, SIR JOSHUA T., BART.
RUCK-KEENE, REV. B.
RUGGLES-BRISE, A.W., ESQ.
SAVILL-ONLEY, C.A. O., ESQ.
STRADBROKE, THE EARL OF
SYMMONS, R.F., ESQ.
TOWER, CHRISTOPHER J.H., ESQ.
TRACY, N., ESQ.
TUFNELL, W.M., ESQ.
WELLS, F., ESQ.
WINTER, J.J., ESQ.
WOOD, CHARLES PAGE, ESQ.

_Hon. Consulting Physicians_--

SIR FREDERIC BATEMAN, M.D., LL.D., F.R.C.P.
Consulting Physician to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

T. CLIFFORD ALLBUTT, M.D., LL.D., F.R.S., F.R.C.P.
Regius Professor of Physic, University of Cambridge.

_Hon. Consulting Surgeons_--

R.F. SYMMONS, ESQ., Consulting Surgeon to Essex & Colchester Hospital.
E.A. HUNT, ESQ., Surgeon to Essex and Colchester Hospital.

_Hon. Ophthalmic Surgeon_--DR. S. JOHNSON TAYLOR, Norwich.

_Hon. Medical Officer, Crossley House, Clacton-on-Sea_--

WALTER MAINE, ESQ.

_Hon. Dentist_--N. TRACY, ESQ.
_Hon. Solicitor_--A.M. WHITE, ESQ.
_Hon. Architect_--F. CHANCELLOR, ESQ.
_Auditor_--MR. ROBERT L. IMPEY (Chartered Accountant).

_Resident Medical Attendant_--

R.C. KIRKBY, M.R.C.S., Eng., L.R.C.P., Lond.

_Resident Superintendent and Secretary_--JOHN J.C. TURNER.

_Bankers_--MESSRS. BARCLAY & CO., Limited.

LADIES' ASSOCIATION.

Patroness:

HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS OF WALES.

Vice-Patroness:

THE MARCHIONESS OF BRISTOL.

Presidents:

THE COUNTESS OF ALBEMARLE.
THE COUNTESS OF WARWICK.
THE COUNTESS CADOGAN.
THE COUNTESS OF STRADBROKE.
LADY EVELYN COBBOLD.
LADY FLORENCE BARNARDISTON.
LADY IDA LEIGH HARE.
LADY SUSAN BYNG.
THE LADY RAYLEIGH.
THE LADY BATEMAN.
THE LADY AMHERST OF HACKNEY.
THE HON. LADY ROWLEY.
THE HON. ETHEL HENNIKER.
THE HON. MRS. PRETYMAN.
LADY FFOLKES.
LADY AFFLECK.
LADY DURRANT.
LADY RICH.
LADY THORNHILL.
THE MAYORESS OF NORWICH.
THE MAYORESS OF KING'S LYNN.
THE MAYORESS OF BURY ST. EDMUND'S.
MRS. ADEANE.
MRS. ARKWRIGHT.
MRS. AUSTEN-LEIGH.
MISS BUXTON.
MRS. CATOR.
MRS. RUSSELL COLMAN.
MRS. CRAWLEY.
MRS. CROWFOOT.
MRS. DE CHAIR.
MRS. DOWSETT.
MRS. EGERTON-GREEN.
MISS FARRER.
MISS E. BLANCHE HAMMOND.
MRS. SANCROFT HOLMES.
MRS. INGLEBY.
MRS. JOHNSON.
MRS. SIDNEY LACON.
MRS. LOCKER-LAMPSON.
MRS. LE STRANGE.
MRS. LITTLEWOOD.
MRS. LOCKWOOD.
MISS MABEL LOWTHER.
MRS. BERKELEY MANSEL.
MRS. MCINTOSH.
MRS. EDWARD PACKARD, JUN.
MRS. VICTOR PALEY.
MISS OXLEY PARKER.
MRS. PETRE.
MRS. HOWELL PRICE.
MRS. ERNEST RANSOM.
MRS. ROUND.
MISS ROUND.
MISS FLORENCE RUGGLES-BRISE.
MRS. HENRY SHARPE.
MRS. STANLEY.
MRS. TOWNLEY.
MRS. VAIZEY.
MISS MARGARET WATERS.
MRS. WEDD.
MISS WOOD.
MRS. FRANK WORTHINGTON.

The Eastern Counties' Asylum has been established for the care,
education, and training of Idiots and Imbeciles of all classes
residing in the Counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and
Cambridge.

In these Counties there are upwards of 3,000 cases of Idiocy and Imbecility, and the Asylum at Colchester is _the only one_ in the District. It stands in its own grounds of six acres, near the Railway Station, and is supported by voluntary contributions. There is a small Farm attached to the Asylum and a Sea-side Branch at Clacton-on-Sea, and there is accommodation for 250 patients. Those whose friends are unable to pay for their care and maintenance, are elected to the benefits of the Asylum by the votes of the Subscribers, and, subject to the rules and regulations, are admitted for five years. It is expected, however, that some contribution should be made if possible. After residence in the Asylum for 3-1/2 years, and if it is found that patients are unable to be taught wholly or partly to maintain themselves, they may be re-elected for additional terms of five years, and a small proportion are allowed to be re-elected for life. Insane persons, and cases suffering from confirmed Epilepsy, are not eligible for admission. Paying Patients are admitted by the Board of Directors, without election, at any time, the charges varying according to the circumstances of the friends and their requirements. Separate sitting and bedroom accommodation, with the advantage of a special Attendant or Nurse, is provided when wished, such an arrangement combining the quietude and comfort of a private residence with the hygienic, educational, and training resources of a Public Institution. The Asylum is under the personal charge of Mr. and Mrs. J.J. C. Turner, Superintendent and Matron, and there is likewise a Resident Medical Attendant.

The Elections occur in the Spring and Autumn, and are held in the principal towns of the Eastern Counties. Donors of Five Guineas are entitled to a Life Vote, and Annual Subscribers of Half-a-Guinea to two votes annually, the right of Voting as regards higher sums being increased in the same proportion. Contributors may individually exercise the right of Voting, or transfer the same to the House Committee of the Asylum or to any Local Committee.

Reports, Forms of Application for Admission, and any other information will be supplied by the Secretary, Mr. John J.C. Turner, Asylum, Colchester.

The Board of Directors earnestly appeal for Annual Subscriptions and Donations to enable them to carry on this important work. Since 1884 the Annual Subscriptions have been reduced, owing to deaths and discontinuance, by upwards of £1,000. The applications for admission are numerous and urgent, and the present expenditure exceeds £7,000 annually, towards which only £800 is forthcoming from invested Capital. Only those who are brought into close contact with mental affliction can adequately realise the sad trial and immense anxiety of having an Idiot child, and where this affliction has not been experienced, it is hoped that some sum, however small, will be given as a thank-offering.

JOHN J.C. TURNER,
_Secretary_.

By the Same Author. Demy 8vo, 16/- Second Edition, Greatly Enlarged.

_Prize Essay of the Academy of Medicine of France._

ON

APHASIA,

OR

Loss of Speech,

AND

THE LOCALISATION OF THE FACULTY OF ARTICULATE LANGUAGE.

_Ouvrage couronné par l'Académie de Médecine de France (Prix Alvarenga, 1891)._

OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.

From the _British Medical Journal_.

"We feel quite sure the profession will gladly welcome the second edition of Dr. Bateman's well-known and valuable work. It teems with illustrative cases, and is essentially one for the student of Aphasia always to have by him, in order that he may readily refer to it from time to time; any case he may have under his care will indeed be rare if he cannot find an allusion to a parallel one in Dr. Bateman's book.

"We think that the author was very well advised in extending chapter xii., for there are grouped together a number of interesting facts on important topics, such as the difference between the convolutions of criminals and of intellectual men, the difference in the microscopic structure of the brain, the cranial capacity, and other subjects of which it is usually difficult to find any mention."

From the _London Medical Recorder_.

"The numerous clinical cases form a valuable feature in this book. These illustrative records have been gathered from a wide range of reading and experience, and hardly any case of importance bearing on the subject appears to have escaped notice. As a work of reference, then, this volume will be indispensable to all who are interested in the study of nervous diseases."

From _Nature_.

"A useful part of this work is a chapter on the Medical Jurisprudence of Aphasia. This is a subject which we believe has not been touched upon in any previous English text-book, and it is of the greatest importance. To summarise briefly, we may say that Dr. Bateman's work is one that should be read by everyone interested in the faculty of language, or in diseases of the nervous system. It contains an enormous amount of valuable material, which has been put together by great labour, and is written by one who has devoted many long years to his subject."

From the _Solicitor's Journal_.

"This book is a second and greatly-enlarged edition of a treatise published some years since by Dr. Bateman. It gained a prize, on the recommendation of the French Academy of Medicine, in 1891, and its author has recently received the honour of knighthood, in recognition of his distinguished labours.

"While the whole work possesses great scientific interest, chapters v. and x. are of peculiar value to general and legal readers. In the latter, the Jurisprudence of Aphasia is dealt with. This question has not hitherto been treated by any British author, although it involves issues of such frequent occurrence and general importance as the capacity of speechless persons to make a will and to manage their affairs, and their civil and criminal responsibility. Having examined this part of Dr. Bateman's treatise with the utmost care, we have no hesitation in commending it heartily to our readers as an able exposition of a difficult subject, enriched by illustrations from Continental Jurisprudence."

From the _Norfolk Chronicle_.

"In the goodly volume of over 400 pages before us, we have substantial proof of the perfection that may be attained by Theory and Practice, walking and working hand in hand. An eminent physician, whose great energies and rare knowledge of therapeutics are apparently absorbed in the everyday exercise of his noble profession, has yet found time for deep research and original speculation in one of the most fascinating regions in the whole range of Neuro-pathology. The result is such as only the well-directed devotion of a life-time could have produced. Here, in one, we have a student's text-book, a scientist's guide and companion, and, lastly, a psychological treatise certain to attract a large share of attention at the hands of the intelligent general reader. For the medical profession it possesses, without doubt, a primary interest--yet, withal, it is replete with interest to the general reader."

CONTINENTAL NOTICES.

_Les Archives de Neurologie_, Vol. xx.

"Ce livre est la deuxième édition considérablement augmentée du traité publié il y a vingt ans et bien connu de nos lecteurs.

"N.B.--Ce livre est parfaitement au courant de la science actuelle."

_La Revue de l'Hypnotisme._

"L'ouvrage du docteur Bateman a déjà reçu un accueil favorable de l'Académie des sciences et de l'Académie de médecine de Paris. En le présentant à la Société de Biologie, le Président, M. Brown-Séquard, a fait un éloge mérité de ce remarquable ouvrage aussi savant qu'original.

"Le livre du docteur Bateman apporte une contribution précieuse à la médecine psychologique. M. Bateman a compulsé toute la littérature scientifique de l'Europe et de l'Amérique sur le sujet qu'il a traité, et ses études faites pendant plus de vingt années sur les cas qu'il a rencontrés à l'hôpital de Norwich et dans sa clientèle privée, lui ont permis d'arriver a des conclusions véritablement pratiques."

_Annales d'Hygiène Publique et de Médecine Légale_,
Tome xxvi., p. 583.

"La première édition du traité de M. Bateman avait été très favorablement accueillie du public médical. La seconde édition, augmentée d'observations nouvelles, tenue au courant des progrès de la science, n'aura pas moins de succès.

"Les premiers chapitres du volume sont consacrés a l'historique de l'aphasie et de la localisation de la faculté du langage articulé: l'auteur y rend pleine justice aux auteurs français, Broca, Trousseau, Charcot, &c., qui ont les premiers soulevé cette question délicate. Le chapitre iv. contient les observations personnelles de M. Bateman dont beaucoup ont été recueillies dans son service à l'hôpital de Norfolk et Norwich. Dans le chapitre suivant M. Bateman étudie et analyse la faculté de parler, la parole articulée, résume les opinions de Max Muller, de Whitney, de Parchappe, &c. La parole est un acte physico-psychique, composé de deux éléments, l'un somatique et matériel, le mouvement, l'autre psychique, la parole interne, le λογος. Le langage est donc une fonction à la fois impressive et expressive. La fonction impressive nécessite l'action de l'ouïe, de la vue ou d'un des sens, c'est la fonction sensorielle du langage; l'autre résulte d'une action musculaire, et constitue la fonction motrice. Le langage articulé est l'apanage de l'homme seul.

"L'auteur décrit ensuite le mécanisme du langage, les organes de la voix, le larynx; il étudie plus loin les différents types de langage; il montre que le langage articulé n'est pas le seul moyen que l'homme ait d'exprimer sa pensée, il oppose le langage naturel au langage artificiel ou acquis, &c.

"Avec les chapitres suivants nous entrons dans la pathologie; M. Bateman y décrit l'agraphie, l'aphasie dans toutes ses formes et variétés. Il étudie ses causes, son diagnostic, son pronostic, son traitement, son importance en médecine légale; enfin dans les derniers chapitres, M. Bateman s'occupe plus généralement de la localisation de la parole, et il résume les opinions des physiologistes les plus célèbres depuis Gall jusqu'à Barnard Davis, Flower, Broca, &c."

_Comptes Rendus de la Société de Biologie_, Tome ii., No. 30.

"Au nom de l'auteur, le Dr. Frédéric Bateman, je présente à la Société un exemplaire de la seconde édition de son célèbre ouvrage sur l'aphasie. Les progrès considérables de nos connaissances, durant les vingt dernières années, sur les diverses espèces d'aphasie, sont exposés avec une grande clarté dans ce remarquable ouvrage aussi savant qu'original, le plus complet qui existe sur la matière dont il traite. L'auteur lui a consacré toute sa vie, déjà longue, de penseur et de praticien."

"LE PROFESSEUR BROWN-SÉQUARD,
"_Président de la Société de Biologie_."

_Gazzetta Degli Ospitali, Milano._

"È una monographia importante su questa affezione tanto studiata ai nostri tempi. L'A conosce tutto ciò che fu scritto in proposito e lo sottopone ad una critica sensata e profonda. Egli raccolse un gran numero di casi, e, avendo cosi avuto a sua disposizione un vasto materiale, ha potuto studiare accuratamente la malattia.

"Il quarto capitolo contiene le esperienze cliniche dell'A, in una serie di X Casi dettagliati alcuni dei quali furono da lui osservati come medico del Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Interessante quello di una afasia puerperale in una signora il cui vocabolario era limitato ad una frase: the other day--l'altro giorno."

_Neurologisches Centralblatt._

"Im 1.--3, Kapitel wird die Litteratur und Bibliographie der Aphasie ausführlich berichtet, indem die betreffenden Arbeiten aller Länder in gleichem Maasse gewürdigt werden. Im 4. Kapitel finden wir einige eigene Beobachtungen des Autors. Kapitel 5 bringt die Definition der Aphasie und die Entwickelungsgeschichte der Sprache. In Kapitel 6 und 7 wird die Klassification der Sprache abgehandelt. Mitunter fehlen dem Sprechenden nur die Substantiva, oder ganz bestimmte Worte, oder eine bestimmte Landessprache; in anderen Fällen von Aphasie werden nur bestimmte Phrasen beständig wiederholt etc. Auch die Schriftstörungen und die Anomalien der Mimik und Zeichensprache bei der Aphasie werden besprochen; ferner die Affectausdrücke, Bedeutung der Injectionen, der hysterische Mutismus u. s. w. Im 8. Kapitel werden die ätiologischen Factoren der Aphasie hervorgehoben: Angeborene Stummheit, Sprachstörungen der Idioten; Aphasie in Folge von Exostosen der Schädelknochen; Thrombose, Embolie der Gehirnarterien; ischämische Erweichung, etc. Kapitel 9 behandelt die Diagnose, Prognose, Therapie, während im folgenden Kapitel die Rechtsfragen der Aphasischen erörtert werden. In den letzten Kapiteln 11 und 12 geht der Verf., soweit die betreffenden Gegenstände zur Aphasie in Beziehung treten, auf den Hypnotismus ein, den anatomischen Sitz, die mikroskopischen Befunde, auf die Physiologie und Psychologie der Sprache, die experimentelle Pathologie, die allgemeine Anthropologie, auf die Hirnchemie etc."

AMERICAN & COLONIAL NOTICES.

From the _Montreal Medical Journal_.

"The learned author of this work was the first to publish in English a treatise on Aphasia. Not the least interesting part of the work is that referring to the author's own contributions. The subject of Aphasia is treated in all its relations, and in all its forms and modifications.

"There is certainly no work in the English language which gives such a full and accurate account of this abstruse subject. The author is to be congratulated on having produced a work that will be a standard authority on loss of speech."

From the _American Journal of Insanity_.

"Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this book of Dr. Bateman's is the singular spirit of scientific fairness that characterizes its every utterance, so conspicuous and so anomalous is this, that it is worthy of special mention.

"It is a book which no student of medicine, of language, or of psychology can afford to be without."

From the _New York Medico-Legal Journal_.

"This is a book which will interest all neurologists, and reflects great credit on its author, for the research and care, as well as fairness of the discussion, which is raised between the several schools of thought.

"That part of the work most interesting to us is the chapter on the Medical Jurisprudence of Aphasia, the hints on criminal Anthropology, the Chemistry of the Brain, and the question of Localisation of the Faculty of Speech.

"The work on the whole is a very valuable contribution to the literature of Aphasia, and will be welcomed by all Neurologists."

From the _Alienist and Neurologist_.

"This is a valuable contribution to the history and literature of the subject, a subject not yet too old to have lost its interest to either professional or lay reader.

"No library of the literature of Aphasia, however, would be complete without this book. The author is elaborate without complexity."

_London: Jarrold and Sons, 10 and 11, Warwick Lane, E.C._

* * * * *

Transcriber's Notes

Obvious punctuation and spelling errors repaired.

Italic text is denoted by _underscore_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

Inconsistent hyphenation has been repaired.

The oe and ae ligatures in the text has been left as it appears in the
original book.

On page 47 "genetous" replaced with "genetic".
On page 59 "demostand" replaced with "demonstrants".
On page 81 "artizan" replaced with "artisan".

Greek translations:

sôma, psychê, pneuma
σωμα, ψυχη, πνευμα

idiotês
ιδιοτης

iatros kaì ìdiôtês
ιατρος καì ìδιωτης

Ho de nous eoiken enginesthai ousia tis ousa, kai ou phtheiresthai.
Ὁ δε νους εοικεν εγγινεσθαι ουσια τις ουσα, και ου φθειρεσθαι.

nous
νους

ousia
ουσια

logos
λογος

en métrô hôs poiêtês, hê haneu métrou hôs idiôtês
εν μéτρω ὡς ποιητης, ἡ ἁνευ μéτρου ὡς ιδιωτης

iatros kahi hisiôtês
ιατρος καἱ ἱσιωτης

In ambiguous cases, the text has been left as it appears in the
original book. In particular, many mismatched quotation marks have
not been changed.

The following numerous errors were left as is:
endquote missing punctuation
wrong spaced quotes
long line errors appear only with Greek lettering