been confined to sexual topics, as discussed by various quacks, astrology,
phrenology, Christian Science, and religion. Although he said he discovered
God for himself he never gave up the Catholic religion. Gradually his energy
has been so engrossed by these interests that he lost position after
position as a result of continually talking of his ideas to his fellow
workers or employers. This tendency eventually led to his commitment, but as
long ago as 1906 a physician said he was insane. For the past six years he
has been cross, stubborn and self-willed so that none of family dared to
speak to him. He even left home and took a furnished room by himself. In
spite of this evident anti-social tendency he speaks of himself as having
been filled during this period with a great hope; he has been looking into
the future and content that he will reach the goal and sees happiness in the
future. For some months he had talked much of the world coming to an end
and said that those who had money should spend it as it would soon do them
no good. He wanted every one to divide his money with him as, he said,
everything belonged to God. Many people were against him and he wrote
letters about this to various officers. It was when he showed some of these
to an assemblyman that he was advised to go to Observation Pavilion.
When he arrived at Manhattan State Hospital he was quiet and agreeable,
cooperated readily with his examination and seemed to take his incarceration
as a matter of course, though he has always had mild arguments to prove that
he should be allowed parole. A certain degree of deterioration is evidenced
by his failure to make much of an effort in this direction, although such
effort would be immediately successful. In his manner he was quiet,
occasionally somewhat affected and when talking of his ideas was apt to
assume an expression bordering on ecstasy. At no time did he show an
inappropriate affect or any evidence of scattering or flight. He could talk
quite objectively of his idea. He had had only one halucinatory experience
and even it should, perhaps, be called merely an illusion. "On the 14th of
March, 1912," he said "I came face to face with God Almighty. He spoke in a
Jewish dialect and was dressed as a carpenter." The patient was in the
Cathedral at the time and that night he had a vision of this man, though
this may have been just a dream. He also heard Bishop H. speak of the man
who had come to prepare the world for the second coming of Christ. The
bishop looked at this patient which meant that he, the patient, was the man.
Before detailing his ideas it may be well to outline their general tendency.
In his psychosis he succeeded in fulfilling the wish of the Persian enemy of
reality:
"Ah, Love, could you and I with Him conspire
To grasp this sorry scheme of things entire,
Would we not shatter it to bits and then
Remould it nearer to the heart's desire."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account