AND hopefully one day you will learn to 'think' before you put your
thoughts on public view....improve your communication skills.......and
keep your acrid remarks to yourself.....

Having been reading for a while I would say you have an attitude
problem........there is little point trying to explain anything to
someone who is too arrogant to listen

Tuesday - Morses girlfriend

--- In criticalpsychiatry@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Snell"
<msnellca@t...> wrote:
> Hopefully one day it will move you to have a thought you can call
your own...
>
> ms
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Dreamer383883125@a...
> To: criticalpsychiatry@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2004 1:24 PM
> Subject: [criticalpsychiatry] ON THE CAUSES OF IDIOCY.
>
>
> For some reason I thought of Michael when I read this
>
>
>
> http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~mksimpso/howe4.htm
>
>
>
> ON THE CAUSES OF IDIOCY.
>
>
>
> THE object of the first part of this report was to lay before the
proper
> authorities such information respecting the number and condition
of idiots in the
> Commonwealth as would show the necessity for some immediate action
in their
> behalf. In this supplementary part will be found some information
which,
> perhaps, may be useful for those who still have the direction of
that action; and
> likewise some facts and considerations, the knowledge of which may
tend to lesson
> the number of idiots in the next generation, and possibly to
hasten the
> period at which the grievous calamity shall be removed.
>
> All those who have a living and abiding faith and trust in the
goodness and
> wisdom of the Creator will readily believe that the terrible evils
which now
> infest society are not necessarily perpetual; that they are not
inherent in the
> very necessary condition of man, but are the chastisements sent by
a loving
> Father to bring back his children to obedience to his beneficent
laws. These
> laws have been as much shrouded in darkness, in times past, as the
hieroglyphics
> of Egypt; and though they were written -upon every man's body, no
Champollion
> was found to decipher them. But a better day has dawned, and men
are beginning
> to read the handwriting upon the world, which tells them that
every sin
> against a natural law must be atoned for by suffering here as well
as hereafter.
>
> It is beginning to be seen, also, that man has a double nature and
double
> interests; that be is a social being, as well as an individual;
and that he
> cannot sin with impunity against the one nature any more than be
can against the
> other, God has joined men together, and they cannot put themselves
asunder. The
> ignorance, the depravity, the sufferings of one man, or of one
class of men,
> must affect other men, and other classes of men, in spite of all
the barriers
> of pride and selfishness which they may erect around themselves.
The doctrine
> of impenetrability does not obtain in morals, however it may do in
physics;
> but, on the contrary, as gases afford mutually a vacuum to each
other into which
> they rush, so the nature of every individual is a vacuum to the
nature of
> society, and its influences, he they for good or be they for evil,
interpenetrate
> him in spite of himself. It is clear, therefore, that in this, as
in
> everything else, the interest and the duty of society are common
arid inseparable.
>
> Idiocy is a fact in our history of momentous import. It is one of
the many
> proofs of the immense space through which society has yet to
advance before it
> even approaches to the perfection of civilization which is
attainable. Idiots
> form one rank of that fearful host which is ever pressing upon
society with its
> suffering, its miseries, arid its crimes, and which society is
ever trying to
> hold off at arm's length-to keep in quarantine, to shut up in
jails and
> almshouses, or, at least, to treat as a pariah caste; but all in
vain.
>
> There are the paupers,- a host in themselves; the drunkards, the
vagabonds,
> the criminals, the insane, the blind, the deaf,-all these together
form a
> number, the proportion of which to the whole population is
fearfully great, and the
> existence of which is a reproach to our civilization, for that
existence
> implies gross ignorance and open violation of the laws of nature.
>
> The moral to be drawn from the existence of the individual idiot
is this, -
> he, or his parents, have so far violated the natural laws, so far
marred the
> beautiful organism of the body, that it is an unfit instrument for
the
> manifestation of the powers of the soul. The moral to be drawn
from the prevalent
> existence of idiocy in society is, that a very large class of
persons ignore the
> conditions upon which alone health and reason are given to men,
and consequently
> they sin in various ways; they disregard the conditions which
should be
> observed in intermarriage; they overlook the hereditary
transmission of certain
> morbid tendencies, or they pervert the natural appetites of the
body into lusts
> of divers kinds,-the natural emotions of the mind into fearful
passions,-and
> thus bring down the awful consequences of their own ignorance and
sin upon the
> heads of their unoffending children.
>
> Idiocy is found in all civilized countries, but it is not an evil
necessarily
> inherent in society; it is not an accident; and much less is it a
special
> dispensation of Providence; to suppose it call be so, is an insult
to the majesty
> of Heaven. No! It is merely the result of a violation of natural
laws, which
> are simple, clear, arid beautiful; which require only to be seen
arid known,
> in order to be loved; and which, if strictly observed for two or
three
> generations, would totally remove from any family, however
strongly predisposed to
> insanity or idiocy, all possibility of its recurrence.
>
> No scientific exposition of these laws will be attempted here; but
many facts
> and observations will be recorded, which may awaken some abler
minds to the
> importance of codifying them and setting them forth for the
benefit of mankind.
> Suffice it to say now, that out of 420 cases of congenital idiocy
examined,
> some information was obtained respecting the condition of the
progenitors of
> 359. Now, in all these 359 cases, save only four, it is found that
one or the
> other, or both, of the immediate progenitors of the unfortunate
sufferers had,
> in some way, widely departed from the normal condition of health,
and violated
> the natural laws. That is to say, one or the other, or both of
them, were very
> unhealthy or scrofulous; or they were hereditarily predisposed to
afflictions
> of the brain, causing occasional insanity; or they had
intermarried with
> blood relatives; or they had been intemperate, or had been guilty
of sensual
> excesses which impaired their constitutions.
>
> Now, it is reasonable to suppose, that if more accurate
information could
> have been obtained about the history of the other four cases, some
adequate cause
> would have been found in them also, for the misfortune of the
child, in the
> condition of the progenitors.
>
> This subject of the hereditary transmission of diseased tendency
is of vast
> importance; but, it is a difficult one to treat, because a
squeamish delicacy
> makes people avoid it; but if ever the race is to be relieved of a
tithe of the
> bodily ills which flesh is now heir to, it must be by a clear
understanding
> of. and a willing obedience to, the law which makes the parents
the blessing or
> the curse of the children ; the givers of strength, and vigour,
and beauty,
> or the dispensers of debility, and disease, and deformity. It is
by the lever
> of enlightened parental love, more than by any other power, that
mankind is to
> be raised to the highest attainable point of bodily perfection.
>
> Can there be so sad a sight on earth as that of a parent looking
upon a son
> deformed, or halt, or blind, or deaf, with the consciousness that
he himself is
> the author of the infirmity; or upon a sick and suffering
daughter, fading
> and dying in early youth, from the gnawing of a worm which he
himself placed
> within her breast; or a wayward and unmanageable child, urged and
hurried on to
> lust, and licentiousness, and crime, by the irresistible force of
passions
> which he himself bestowed upon it? If such parent erred in
ignorance; if be had
> always obeyed the laws of life and morality, as far as he knew
them, still -must
> his suffering be grievous; but if he sinned against the clear
light of God's
> law; if he secretly defiled the temple of his soul, ran riot in
lust, fed the
> fire of passion until it burnt out the very core of his body, and
then planted
> a spark from the smouldering ashes to shoot up into unhallowed
flames in the
> bosom of his child,-how horrible must be his sensations when he
looks upon
> that child, consuming, morally, every day before his eyes! Talk
about the dread
> of a material hell in the far-off future! The fear of that can be
nothing to
> the fear of plunging one's own child in the hell of passion here.
It is probable
> that there are thousands of such parents among us, who never dream
that they
> are at all responsible for those bodily ailments of their
offspring, which
> sadden their own lives; or for the stupidity, the waywardness, or
the vice, which
> almost hardens their hearts against the children who manifest
them, when, in
> reality, those ailments and vices are but the dregs of a poisoned
chalice
> returned to their own lips.
>
> It may be assumed as certain, that in all cases where children are
born
> deformed, or blind, or deaf, or idiotic, or so imperfectly and
feebly organized
> that they cannot come to maturity under- ordinary circumstances,
or have the
> seeds of early decay, or have original impetuosity of passions
that amount to
> moral insanity,-in all such cases the fault lies with the
progenitors. Whether
> they sinned in ignorance or in wilfulness, matters not as to the
effect of the
> sin upon the offspring. The laws of God are so clear that he who
will read may
> do so. If a man violates them ignorantly, he suffers the simple
penalty; if he
> violates them knowingly, he has remorse added to his suffering;
but in no case
> can the penalty be remitted to him.
>
> The conditions of the law of transmission of hereditary tendencies
to disease
> of body and of mind are beginning to be known, but there are many
> circumstances which obstruct the spread of knowledge upon the
subject. First and foremost
> among these is the mournful ignorance about Physiology. People are
blind to
> principles which, if understood, would make the whole law clear
and beautiful.
>
> The transmission of any infirmity is not always direct. It is not
always in
> the same form, It may be modified by the influence of one sound
parent; it may
> skip a generation; it may affect one child more, and another less;
it may
> affect one in one form and another in another; and so, in a
thousand ways, it may
> elude observation. But more especially does it escape observation,
because it
> may affect a child merely by diminishing, not destroying, the
vigour of his
> mind or body,-by almost paralyzing one mental faculty, or giving
fearful
> activity to one animal passion, and so reappearing in the child,
in a different dress
> front what it wore in the parent. Variety is the great 1aw of
nature, and it
> holds good in the transmission of diseased tendencies, as well as
in
> everything else. But unerring certainty, too, is alike it
characteristic of this law;
> and let no one flatter himself or herself that its penalties can
be escaped.
>
> The health and vigour of the body -may be compared to a man's
capital; it is
> a trust fund given to him by the Creator, of which he may expend
the interest
> in the natural enjoyments of life, but he cannot encroach in the
least on the
> principal without real loss. Every debauch, every excess, every
undue
> indulgence, is at the expense of this capital. A rich man may
throw away cents or
> dollars, and not feel it,-but be is really poorer for it; and a
young man, with a
> large capital of health, may daily throw away part of it, and
still feel
> strong; but every over-stimulant to the nerves, every overload to
the stomach, is a
> cent or a dollar taken from his capital; feel it, or not feel it,
he is
> poorer for it, and so will be the children afterwards born to him.
>
> There is this difference, however, between the capital which God
gives man,
> and that which he accumulates for himself, that the one is never
so great but
> its interest can be spent with enjoyment, while the other may be
so enormous as
> to cumber and embarrass him like an overload of fat. He may grasp
so much,
> that, like the boy with his fist full of olives in the
narrow-mouthed jar, he
> cannot withdraw it, and will not let any drop.
>
> Were it not for the action of certain principles which give to the
race
> recuperative powers, there would be danger of its utter
deterioration as a whole by
> the sins of so many of its individual members.
>
> The conviction of the existence and the importance of the law of
hereditary
> influence-, has been brought home so strongly by examining the
condition of the
> unfortunate objects of this research, that this digression has
been
> inevitable.
>
> Before referring to the tabular views appended, we shall attempt
to give an
> idea of the leading differences among the persons referred to,
although it is
> no part of the object of this report to establish a scientific
classification
> of idiots. The best way, perhaps, to give an idea of the leading
distinctive
> features of different classes of these unfortunate beings will be
to describe
> several individual cases. For all humane and practical purposes,
we may divide
> them into PURE IDIOTS, FOOLS, AND SIMPLETONS, or IMBECILES, as
they are
> sometimes called.
>
> According to Mr. Séguin, the type of an idiot is an individual who
"knows
> nothing, can do nothing, cannot even desire to do anything." This
is the maximum
> of idiocy; the minimum of intelligence; and but very few cases can
be found
> (we were inclined to think none could) in which a being in human
shape is so
> much below even insects, and so little above a sensitive plant.
The vast European
> hospitals, in which the two ends of humanity seem to meet, where
beneficence,
> guided by science, stoops to give attention to the most shocking
and
> repulsive forms of human suffering and degradation; -those great
lazar-houses of
> London and Paris do, sometimes, as their records show, present
such cases of Idiocy
> as, one would fain hope, can be found nowhere else. But, alas!
when,
> overcoming the repugnance to close contemplation of utter
degradation, one looks
> carefully among the sweepings that are cast out by society for
something that may
> be saved to humanity, he finds, even in our fair commonwealth,
breathing masses
> of flesh, fashioned in the shape of men, but shorn of all other
human
> attributes.
>
> IDIOTS OF THE LOWEST CLASS ARE MERE ORGANISMS, MASSES OF FLESH AND
BONE IN
> HUMAN SHAPE, IN WHICH THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM HAS NO COMMAND
OVER THE
> SYSTEM OF VOLUNTARY MUSCLES; AND WHICH CONSEQUENTLY ARE WITHOUT
POWER OF
> LOCOMOTION, WITHOUT SPEECH, WITHOUT ANY MANIFESTATION OF
INTELLECTUAL OR AFFECTIVE
> FACULTIES.
>
> FOOLS ARE A HIGHER CLASS OF IDIOTS, IN WHICH THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS
SYSTEM ARE
> SO FAR DEVELOPED AS TO GIVE PARTIAL COMMAND OF THE VOLUNTARY
MUSCLES: WHO
> HAVE CONSEQUENTLY CONSIDERABLE POWER OF LOCOMOTION AND ANIMAL
ACTION; PARTIAL
> DEVELOPMENT OF THE AFFECTIVE AND INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES, BUT ONLY
THE FAINTEST
> GLIMMER OF REASON, AND VERY IMPERFECT SPEECH.
>
> SIMPLETONS ARE THE HIGHEST CLASS OF IDIOTS, IN WHOM THE HARMONY
BETWEEN THE
> NERVOUS AND MUSCULAR SYSTEM IS NEARLY PERFECT; WHO CONSEQUENTLY
HAVE NORMAL
> POWERS OF LOCOMOTION AND ANIMAL ACTION: CONSIDERABLE ACTIVITY OF
THE PERCEPTIVE
> AND AFFECTIVE FACULTIES; AND REASON ENOUGH FOR THEIR SIMPLE
INDIVIDUAL
> GUIDANCE, BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR THEIR SOCIAL RELATIONS.
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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