he other side
of the line, losing sight of the fact that in the evolution of the human
mind Nature is far from drawing such sharp differentiations as are
exemplified by legal statutes. It would certainly be very convenient,
and expert testimony would certainly have been spared the disrepute into
which it has fallen, were Nature more accommodating in this respect. But
Nature does not work in this fashion; differentiation in Nature takes
place through infinite gradations, and between the absolutely well
mentally and the frankly insane there is a host of individuals
concerning whom it is almost next to impossible to state to which of the
above two groups they belong. Thus it is that the frankly insane at
times manifest conduct which taken by itself differs in no way from
normal conduct, and that the so-called normal individual at times
exhibits a type of reaction which is essentially of a psychotic nature.

To the psychiatrist it is a matter of common occurrence to see the
mentally diseased not only dissimulate very ingeniously and tactfully
mental symptoms so that it is frequently impossible to convince a jury
of laymen of the existence of mental disorder, but at times, when the
necessity arises, they consciously accentuate their symptoms or frankly
malinger.

There is nothing strange about this. There is absolutely no reason why
the insane, in his desire to gain expression for his wishes and
strivings, should not avail himself of the same means that normal man
uses.

The following case illustrates this very clearly:--

W. J. C., a well-educated, fairly efficient newspaper reporter, after
a period of indefinite, vague, neurasthenic complaints lasting several
weeks and which brought about his discharge from the staff of a local
newspaper, awoke one July morning, picked up his infant child and,
throwing it against the opposite wall of the room, inflicted fatal
injuries upon it. After this he turned his face to the wall and
remained quietly in bed. There was no ascertainable cause present for
this act. The child was in the habit of entering the patient's room
every morning and playing with him before he arose from bed. It was
apparently on the same errand on this fatal morning. Shortly after
getting up the patient wanted to leave the house in his night clothes,
but was prevented from doing so and held until the police arrived. Six
and one-half hours later,--_i.e._, on July 27, at 12.30 P.M.,--he