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EDWARD D. WORRELL. 143

sanity in which there is a general derangement of the mental
faculties, accompanied by greater or less excitement, some-
times amounting to violent fury. It arisea from a morbid
affection of the brain, and is distinguished from ordinary de-
lirium in this, that delirium is usually the result of bodily
disease. In common parlance, a person laboring under mazia
is said to be mad; he loses all control over himself and re-
quires close confinement to keep him from inflicting injury
upon himself or others; in a word, he is entirely bereft of
reason, and therefore irresponsible for any of his acts.
“Monomania he defines to be that form of insanity, in which
the mental alienation is partial. The patient is subject to
delusions and is perfectly rational upon every subject not
connected with his delusion—it may be accompanied with a
propensity to homicide, larceny, arson or any other offense,
and is often connected with the subject of religion. A man
imagines that he is clothed with spiritual power and is com-
missioned by the Almighty to go into the world and pro-
claim certain doctrines, and wpon the fulfillment of his mis-
sion depends the safety of all mankind; he ia said to be labor-
ing under a delusion; and when the subject of religion is
mentioned in bis presence becomes wild and destitute of rea-
son; yet upon all other subjects is perfectly sane; capable of
attending to business, and moves in society without exciting
any suspicion of hig mental disorder. If he commits a crime,
he is responsible for it unless it is connected with the partic-
vilar delusion. It may be accompanied with a propensity to
maurder, as when a man imagines that the world has con-
epired to take his life, and every man he meets is seeking an
opportunity to accomplish it, and that his only safety is to
Kill all who approach him; he is said to be laboring under a
delusion and therefore not criminally responsible for a homi-
eide committed while under the delusion. But if he had com-
mitted larceny there could be no question as to his respon-
sibility ; as no connection could exist between the crime and
the delusion. A leading case in point is reported as having
occurred in England (5 Carrington & Payne, 168), in
which a man by the name Oxford was indicted for the mur-

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