Excerpt from A Plea for the Insane in the Prisons and Poor-Houses of Pennsylvania Insanity, in its relation to legislation and jurisprudence, as well as to mental, moral and medical science, to its characteristics and the mode of determining its presence, as well as the method of treatment for its cure, to the best means of protecting society against its violent or mischievous assaults, as well as to its claims upon our human regard and sympathy; - is a subject of great difficulty, but, at the same time, of commensurate interest and importance. It is not easy to give a clear Definition Of Insanity, and when we attempt it, the danger is that we run into one extreme or another, and either allow none to be insane but the raving maniac, or make all insane who commit anything foolish or wrong. But we need not attempt a definition here. Whenever the condition of the raving maniac is so far approximated, and the reason so far disordered or dethroned, that the apprehension of the distinction between right and wrong is lost, either wholly and in all relations, or partially and in relation to some particular subjects, then insanity so far exists as to demand to be specifically recognized in the administration of justice, in the means to be provided for the protection of society, and in determining the treatment due to those who are its subjects. The diagnosis of such cases we may leave to experts, and the determination of the facts to the proper officials, judges or juries. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.