sions, and by a delirious idea of witchcraft. Almost instantly, a homicidal impulse arises in his mind, before which everything else disappears; the patient having become as a stranger to everything surrounding him, is entirely carried away by it. It is here that the pathologic reaction of the infirm brain manifests itself (the brain in degeneracy). The clinic teaches that impulses of this kind arise only in conditions of cerebral degeneracy, hereditary degeneracy the most often, but also acquired degeneracy. Sometimes, as in the present case, the anterior parts, of the brain (momentarily at least), lose their power of control and of arresting spontaneity upon the posterior parts, seat of the instinctive centers; action then becomes, so to say, automatic.

[NOTE. In many circumstances these marked phenomena of inhibition, or better, these morbid phenomena, dependent upon a defect of inhibition, are perhaps due to an arrest of development of certain parts of the brain or to defective development of these parts (fibers of conjunction, which bind together the different territories) in congential cases, and also in pathological degeneration of these same parts in acquired cases. This is a theoretical view which is in accord with the science of the present day upon localization, but which has not been,, as yet, controlled by direct observation, or by by pathologic anatomy.]

The act accomplished, a relative equilibrium establishes itself in the workings of the brain, the delirium may persist, but the impulse has disappeared from the consciousness. Thus it was with A., who having perpetrated his four murders, has preserved the remembrance of them, has explained them, and has even regretted having committed them; while still preserving the idea which was the original cause of the impulse, that M., his neighbor, had bewitched him.

Such is the medical explanation of the quadruple murders committed by the accused. A few words more upon the subject of the diagnosis of the access of mental

alienation presented by A. At first being placed in the presence of this fourfold homicide. committed under the circumstances that we know, it was natural to attribute it to epileptic mania, to alcoholic mania, or to delirium. of persecution. The examination of A., though superficial, has quickly shown, that with him there was no question of any of these morbid entities. This is so evident, that it is not even useful to draw up a statement of a differential diagnosis, and to enumerate the distinctive characters which exist between these different mental maladies, and the access of melancholic delirium with which our patient has been affected a few hours only before the scene of murder.

Two strange peculiarities could be observed during this scene of murder. First, why did A. select M. from among others of his neighbors as his enemy, as the one who had bewitched him? Again, why has he tried to give, while counting them aloud, sixty strokes with his weapon, to each of his victims? A. thought it was M. who bewitched him, in consequence of an unconscious mental labor, an unconscious cerebration, as this psychic phenomenon is called. The mother of M. had previously advised him to consult a quack who cured unknown diseases, and drove away charms and spells. This simple fact has become, for the patient, the point of conception of an association of ideas which unfolded themselves unknowingly to him, and it may be that he took not the least part in them. The last term of this association of ideas has been the absolutely conscious conception. It is this-that his charm or spell has been cast upon him by M. It is often easy to explain. Thus, with the act of unconscious cerebrations the conceptions and acts of lunatics are most strange. We perceive then, that conceptions and acts abnormal as they may appear, have nevertheless, an origin, a logical point of differentiation.

The circumstances of the sixty strokes given to each one of the victims, is most difficult to explain. We may search for the reason of the fact in some imperative

hallucination of the hearing. Perhaps it would be more rational to cause to intervene the influence of some delirious conception with the homicidal impulse, arising at the same moment in the mind of the patient, and remaining associated with him to the end. The idea to make the child embrace the dead body of the mother, might have a connection with the same mystic sentiment, equally contemporaneous with the impulse.

We have remarked that A., a little before the scene of the murders had prayed aloud. He was therefore under a mystic influence foreign to his real nature. But we must acknowledge that these are considerations which are entirely hypothetical.

I believe, en résumé, to have demonstrated by all that precedes, that A. was attacked by an access of melancholic delirium and with an homicidal impulse, sudden and irresistible, on the nights of September 9th and 10th.

To-day, February 1st, 1892, the access of melancholy still persists, but is less intense, however. Thoughts of suicide and of homicide still continue to haunt the mind of the patient, who still remains quite depressed, and the dangerous impulses could awaken from moment to moment, in him, as violent as in the commencement.

What will now be the ulterior result of this affection? It may end in recovery perhaps. Recovery from melancholy is not rare. But the brain of the patient, aside from being the seat of the actual psychose, is in a peculiar pathological condition upon which we have more than insisted, and this circumstance renders the real cure of the psychosis very improbable. We should rather admit that the vesanique access will prolong itself, and that it will become chronic. Without doubt, it will then suffer some modifications in regard to its form and symptoms. It may systematize itself more, and may transform itself into a melancholic delirium, with ideas of witchcraft and persecution, but we must foresee that irresistible impulses analogous to those which have already been produced,

will continue to be produced in the future. In consequence, I am led thus to formulate the conclusion of my report.

First: A. is attacked with mental alienation (melancholic delirium). He was already insane, when under the influence of an irresistible impulse, he committed four successive murders.

Second: He is therefore completely irresponsible for his acts.

Third: A. is a very dangerous lunatic who must be confined in a special asylum.

These conclusions have been accepted by the judge of instruction. A., profiting by an ordinance of nolle prosequi, is sent to the Asylum of Bonneval, where he is at present. His mental state February 1st, 1892, has not undergone any remarkable modification.

The few principles of legal medicine, concerning the insane, which I have touched upon in this paper are exposed in a very concise manner, consequently it is useless to reproduce them in finishing, under the head of recapitulation. My principal aim has been to relate a case of homicide by a lunatic, perpetrated under circumstances which seemed different from those in which madmen become murderers, and to demonstrate that in reality such cases do not exist. The detailed observation of A., combined with the knowledge of the real mental condition of the patient, cannot but corroborate the data acquired to-cay upon homicidal impulses in lunacy. Mental pathology possesses as yet no anatomo-pathologic bases, but in a few only of its facts. It is nevertheless, in its whole, constituted after the rules of a strictly scientific method, which is founded upon observation and experience, that is to say, upon clinical and upon cerebral psychology. The form of this brief work, forced me to present at first, "A Summary of the Semeiology of

Homicide in Lunacy." This I have done in endeavoring to retain the ideas really acquired to science, and laying aside all those which are still in controversy. I have even abstained for this reason from signalizing homicide in general paralysis, although there exist some incontestable cases of this kind but these cases are not numerous, and they are not sufficiently studied to enable one, at present, to draw clinical conclusions from them.