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Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2087, 1 July 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

Evidence of Insanity.— The Lord Chancellor of Ireland appears to think it strong presumptive evidence that a man was insane that be left directions in his will that his body should be given up fordissection. Now, as the man in question, a retired Dublin pawbroker, left £3,000 for the prevention of vivisection, it would seem to us by no means an untenable view that he desired, by surrendering bis body to a post mortem examination, to make up in some small degree to science for the damage which the bequest just mentioned might entail upon it. However that may be, we are quite unable to see anything so extraordinary in the clause of the will relating to the disposal of the testator's corpse as was detected by the Irish Lord Chancellor. It appears that the testator left almost all his money to various societies, away from his wife and family. That may have been, and probably was, very wrong of him, and may even indicate that his mind was deranged, but the leaving of bis body to be dissected does not seem to strengthen that sup|)osition in the least. A Lunatic's Intellectual Powers.—a lady (iied recently in a southern asylum whose case was one of the most peculiar in the history of the institution. She was a perfect encyclopedia. She read vorcionsly, aud remembered everything she read. As she had means, she was indulged in the matter of books. Whenever information was wanted in law, medicine or letters, she was appealed to, aud her answers were always correct. Tiic legislative committee, on one occasion, was entertained bv her for an hour. Ho impressed were the numbers with her aeoomplisbmenls that they complained to the bead physician for detaining her in tbc institution. ".11181 go back.” said the doctor, “and ask what she thinks of (he Kreo Masons." They did so and found out that she was the craziest woman in the building.