Citation

Ray I. The Chicago medical journal 1874; 31(12): 726-734.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1874)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

37413302

PMCID

PMC9809563

Abstract

No matter connected with insanity makes a larger draft on the resources of the expert, than the task of deciding correctly in some cases of suspected simulation. This might naturally be ex pected where a sane person is performing his part with all the ingenuity and cunning which a life of criminal habits is apt to develop ; but the difficulty is often none the less where the mani-f festations are very demonstrative and genuine ; and the reason is, that however these may conflict with the results Of one's own ob servations, no one profoundly impressed with a sense of the infinite diversity of nature, even in her wanderings, will be in haste to conclude that they are, on that account, simulated. And the chances of reaching a correct conclusion are not increased by the disposition of the expert to forget that, in the very act of guarding against the deceptions of the patient, he is very apt to deceive himself. To add to his embarrassments, the opportunities for testing the mental condition may be very limited and quite unsuitable. A few interviews with the party in his cell, with such information as attendants may give, furnish, perhaps, the only materials with which he must construct his final opinion. That they are often insufficient to warrant any stronger conclusion than a guess, is precisely what might be expected, and the fact does no discredit to the sagacity of the expert. And yet this is not incompatible with the other fact, that under the surveillance of a Hospital for the Insane, the true character of a suspicious case cannot fail, at last, of being correctly understood by any one of considerable clinical experience and tolerable sagacity.

I have thought the following case worth relating, because it pre sents a rather unusual combination of traits, and, for that reason, may convey some useful hints to future observers.

In March, 1871, Michel Trimbur, with two or three other young men, was convicted, in one of the courts of Philadelphia, of a heinous outrage upon a young woman, and sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment in the Eastern penitentiary. He was of Irish parentage, about twenty-two years old, of rather small stature, and with a countenance indicative neither of stupidity nor ferocity. The crowded condition of the prison rendering it necessary, to some extent, to put two in a room, T. and one of his associates in crime were assigned to the same room, with their mutual con sent and satisfaction. And up to the last, they seemed to be on the best of terms with each other. On the morning of the 7th of May, 1872, when tne keeper went to their cell with their breakfast, Michel said very quietly that Webb would not need any. On in quiry, Webb was found on the bed quite dead, with his head badly bruised. Michel immediately confessed that he killed him while lying in bed, with the board used for closing the ventilator. When asked how it happened, he said he rose early, and struck Webb on the head, several times, he making no resistance. When asked for his reasons, he admitted that they had had no quarrel, but said that Webb had frequently abused his (T.'s) mother, and he would not allow anybody to do that. Neither then nor sub sequently did he express any sorrow for what he had done.

Previous to his trial for this second crime, his counsel requested me to ascertain his mental condition, as there was some reason for suspecting that T. was crazy...

Language: en