Case XL

A rich man lived alone in a large house that belonged to him. His style of living was not at all suitable to the fortune that he was known to possess. He dressed almost in rags, and lived in the most parsimonious manner. No one was allowed to enter his house. However strange his conduct, he did nothing worthy of blame, and the world was left to its conjectures. Information was at length obtained that his resources were exhausted, and that he owed heavy sums on his house. He was finally obliged to sell it. His ruin was a mystery. Misanthropical and taciturn, he shunned all questions.

The circumstance was forgotten, when, one day, the poor wretch presented himself to the new proprietor; he was pale and agitated, but his eyes shone with a strange brilliancy. "Sir," said he, "I know where the gold that I possessed is, and where the fortune is that I have lost. A voice revealed to me that a misfortune would take all from me, and reduce me to misery; and that, to avoid this catastrophe, I must conceal my riches. I followed the advice. Income, furniture, house, all was converted into gold, and buried in a place unknown to any one. Then I no longer heard the voice. My head became a chaos of ideas; I had only a glimmering light now and then. This morning I heard the voice again: 'You are ignorant,' it said, 'where your gold is, but I will tell you. By my advice you threw it into the well.' Pray, sir, have search made; all my riches are there." They attempted to console him; promised to do what he desired; but it would require time and workmen. They made him comprehend that such an operation required preparations that could not be done in a hurry. He retired. In a few days he returned to inquire the result of the search. He was told that they had found nothing!!! He sighed deeply, pronounced a few incoherent words, and in a few days unquestionable insanity put an end to his useless regrets.

It may be asked whether, in the state of mind in which the patient was whose history we have related, he was capable of making a will.

This is a very difficult question; but its solution is not an impossibility. When the conduct of the individual does not depart from received usages, when it is not controlled by one of those false ideas that make him hate his relatives and friends without any motive, and when he regulates his expenses prudently, we do not think that whimsical actions, or words, the results of an erroneous belief, but having no influence on the prominent acts of his life, should deprive a person of his civil liberties, and the power of making his will. We will return to this subject when we examine hallucinations in a medico-legal point of view.

Recapitulation. - Hallucinations of all the senses are more rare than hallucinations of one, two, or three of the senses.

Hallucinations sometimes occur alone, but, more generally, they are combined with illusions, or with some of the forms of madness.

The characteristics of madness, already appreciable in simply isolated hallucinations, are more marked in general hallucinations.

In isolated and general hallucinations may be found the explanation of many incomprehensible actions.

General hallucinations would be a powerful argument in favor of Berkeley's hypothesis, if a pathological state could serve to establish a physiological principle.

Hallucinations of all the senses might appear to be more frequently exhibited, if they were not often mistaken for illusions of sight, of hearing, and of touch.