H. F — stole a piece of bacon from a stall outside a shop in a large thoroughfare; he simply picked the bacon up, hid it under his coat, and walked away; the shopman stopped him, he replaced the bacon on the stall, and waited till the police came and arrested him.

Prisoner is æt. 55, painter by trade, married, has three children. Marked lingual and facial tremor, blurred speech, exalted patellar reflexes. No special ocular symptoms. No signs of alcoholism. Very demented,e.g. blunders over the names and order of the months, cannot calculate his earnings over more than two weeks, etc. Facile, self-satisfied in mood; no obvious delusions; has had several congestive seizures.

Asked why, being an honest man, he committed a theft, says he was in drink and did not know what he was doing. Says later that he is hard-working and devoted to his family, that he has not taken liquor for years; becomes emotional on the subject of his children. Asked now why he stole the bacon, says it was to take it home to his children who had nothing to eat. Questioned about his work, says he is an excellent workman, gets good wages, has saved money, has £15 in the bank; beamingly optimistic. Asked now why he stole the bacon, says he did it for a joke. Reminded of his other explanations, says he does not know why he stole it, “it must have been for a joke.”