IS IT PARANOIA?

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 13794, 15 June 1915, Page 2

IS IT PARANOIA?

AND CONSEQUENTLY INCURABLE

Recently a number of doctors gave interesting evidence at the Auckland Supreme Court respecting a man's sanity, reports tho "Star." Tho man in question was present" during the proceedings, and appeared to be as sane as any person in tho Court. Yet the doctors declared him to be a dangerous lunatic. He was described as a paranoiac. Ordinarily, he seemed perfectly sane, and could talk as rationally as any average individual. Yefc his case was regarded as one of the most hopeless forms of insanity, and a form from which there was no recovery. It was explained that there were three stages of paranoia—first, a stage during which tho patient was deluded and frightened; then a period during which he became suspicious that others meant to harm him; and then the third and final stage, which was the attacking stage, and generally took the form of homicidal mania. Evidence in support of the medical diagnosis was given to the effect that the patient had finst been moody and taciturn. Then lie became obsessed with the idea that an attempt was being made to poison him, and finally he was detained and sent to tho Auckland Mental Hospital. The man,■■■in petitioning before tho Supreme Court for his release, urged that ho was now quite sane 3 acknowledged the foolishness of the'delusions (he had previously entertained, and pleaded that his personal demeanour now meant that he was of a healthy state of mind. The doctors maintained, however, that tlio man was hopelessly insane, that his case was analogous to that of Lionel Terry, and that he would be a public danger if he were ! set at liberty. These facts are perhaps worth re--1 calling, in view of a cable published ■ the other day, for they may be almost claimed to represent a summary of medical opinion on the question of the ■ real form of Germany's madness. Presumably, it is safe to say that Germany lis suffering from . paranoia. Already the opinion has been freely expressed

that German atrocities are traceable to

that form of madness known as sardism. New comes the statement by Dr.

Charles Sarolea, tho welt-known Belgian publicist, that Gei-Juaiiy is a vast lunatic asylum. First, .there was the deliriantthat they were tlio superrace. Then there was tho stage when they became suspicious of harm, and thought Britain was conspiring against them. That brought about the delusion of persecution. Tho third stago was the delirium of violence. which-wa& now to lie seen in its most horrible -form.

Presumably, therefore., the German military nation is paranoiac, and as this form ol madness is incurable, the only 'course to pursue is to stamp it right out uf existence..