CURIOUS CASE OF INSANITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6811, 15 September 1883, Page 2 (Supplement)

CURIOUS CASE OF INSANITY.

A curious case of sanity in insanity, or "method in madness," is reported in tho Vienna journals. An army physician of some repute in his timo, and much beloved by military men, Oberaryt August Uirioh, lias lived for the last few years on his pen-ion at a house in the Lnndstrasse. A fi-w weeks ago the old gentleman showed eigns of insanity, and insisted that he Was " The Emperor.'' His attasks came on regularly in the evening, and were at first known, only to the members of the family, who allowed him to go out in the daytime, as he then sqemed to be perfectly sane. He visited & number of patients, talked with them gravely enough, and even Wrote oat prescriptions for them. When he-returned in the evening he became quite unmanageable, and again insisted that he was the Emperor. His friends at last felt compelled to call in a medical adviser, and the aged physician was carried off to the Psychiarric ward of the garrison hospital. When it Was known that he had prescribed for several sick persons since his madness had become, evident, a thrill of anxious horror ran through the profession, and an appeal was made to the City Board of Health to demand all prescriptions wnich had been writ, ten lately by Dr. Ulrich, These were handed over to Professor Brasch for examination, who declared that they were, all without exception Correct and. rational, even, including those which he had composed on the morning following his very wotat paroxysms of madness.