Mania is the term applied to that large class of mental disorders in which the functions are in a state of excitement, and their mutual dependence and proportion disturbed. It embraces forms of disease so widely apart from each other, that in treating practically of its diagnosis it will be essential to make some classification. For practical purposes it will be sufficient to distinguish its forms into those of acute mania, comprising cases which present recent and active symptoms; chronic mania, in which acute symptoms have given way to others of a more tranquil and permanent kind; and incomplete mania, corresponding to the “mania raisonante” of the French, and embracing those anomalous and undeveloped forms of mental disorder in which defective power of volition and morbid propensities are prominent symptoms.

In my first lecture on the nomenclature of varieties of insanity I dwelt upon those phraseologies which have already been in use. The first of these was the old well known classification, which was grounded on the physical temperament, and conduct of the patient; and which confined itself very much to the question, whether he was violent, low spirited, or silly. Mania, melancholia, and dementia, being applied to these states; monomania and moral insanity, arising in after years as auxiliary to these terms, and being a refinement on the idiosyncracies of various cases. The second phraseology was one which Dr. Noble has developed, if not originated; it dwelt upon the metaphysical position of diseased mind, discarding the consideration of conduct and temperament. It tells us which part or faculty of the mind is diseased; it contains, in short, a geographical sketch of the mind and its diseases, and gives us some ideas of the exact position of each case in the history of diseased mind. Emotional, notional, and intelligential insanity are the chief terms of this vocabulary. I stated my belief that a consideration of both of these histories, the physical and the metaphysical, the state of the conduct and temperament, as well as a history of the part of the mind diseased, were necessary, for a terminology which should represent a fair history of the varieties of diseased mind; and I proposed to compile a nomenclature of the varieties of the disease, constructed from the conjoint consideration of these two histories.

The Forms of insanity hitherto described have been regarded as naturally referrible to the first class, that, namely, of mental disorders involving the intellect. I now pass on to the consideration of those of the second class, that which comprises the disorders of the moral sentiments. I reserve for a future occasion, some remarks on the distinction between this group of diseases, and that comprehended under the third division, or disorders of the animal propensities.

Our attention as reviewers has been drawn to the above subject by two papers published in the Journal of Psychological Medicine, the one by the Rev. Joseph Souter, chaplain to the Essex County Asylum; the other by the Rev. J. May, chaplain to the Hanwell County Asylum.

Mr. Lee has done good service, in calling attention to the noble charity provided by Dr. Warnford, for the insane poor of those classes whose education and position in society, would render the acceptance of relief from parochial funds, a painful degradation, and whose habits would render their residence in the wards of a pauper lunatic asylum, humiliating to themselves, and the source of difficulty and embarrassment in the arrangements of the institution. He says, with perfect truth, that the provisions for health and comfort supplied to the inmates of county asylums, are such as would not be deemed inadequate to the wants of the insane gentry. But the amalgamation of the two classes has been tried in several county asylums, with indifferent success; and public opinion, guided by experience, has now set strongly in the direction of providing for the educated and the uneducated classes in distinct institutions.