Lunacy

Lunacy is that condition or habit in which the mind is directed by the will, but is wholly or partially misguided, or erroneously governed by it; or it is the impairment of any one or more faculties of the mind, accompanied with, or inducing a defect in the comparing faculty. 1 Bland Ch. (Md.) 386. See "Insanity."

See Insanity; Mania.

Lunacy is that condition or habit in which the mind is directed by the wlll, but is wholly or partially misguided or erroneously governed by it; or it is the Impairment of any one or more of the faculties of the mind, accompanied with or inducing a defect in the comparing faculty. Owings' Case, 1 Bland (Md.) 386, 17 Am. Dec. 311. See Insanity.

— Inquisition (or inquest) of lnnacy. A quasi-judicial examination into the sanity or insanity of a given person, ordered by a court having jurisdiction, on a proper application and sufficient preliminary showing of facts, held by the sheriff (or marshal, or a magistrate, or the court itself, according to the local practice) with the assistance of a special jury, usually of six men, who are to hear evidence and render a verdict in accordance with the facts. This is the usual foundation for an order appointing a guardian or conservator for a person adjudged to be insane, or for committing him to an insane asylum See Hughes v. Jones, 116 N. Y. 67, 22 N. E. 446, 5 In R. A. 637, 15 Am. St. Rep. 386; Hadaway v. Smith, 71 Md. 319, 18 Atl. 589; Mills' Ann. St. Colo. § 2935.

— Lunacy, commission of. A commission issuing from a court of competent jurisdiction, authorizing an inquiry to be made into the mental condition of a person who is alleged to be a lunatic.

Lunacy is that condition or habit in which the mind is directed by the will, but is wholly or partially misguided or erroneously governed by it; or it is the impairment of any one or more of the faculties of the mind, accompanied with or inducing a ‘defect in the comparing faculty. 1 Bland, o8b. “Lunacy” means either (1) the condition or status of a lunatic, (q. v.,) or (2) Judicial proceedings taken before the proper court or officer for the purpose of making inquiry into the ataie of mind of persons alleged to be lunatics, of taking charge of them and their property if they are found to ba acy includes both the forms of mental alicnaown, respectively, as “mania” and “demen- 10 N. J. Eq. 186.

See Lunatic.

Insanity; unsoundness of mind; particularly such as is acquired, not congenital. Lunatic: an insane person; and, more strictly, one who, having had reason, has lost it, as distinguished from one who never enjoyed reason. The early common-law authorities made only a veiy general classification of persons of unsound mind, calling those lunatics who were born with natural powers of mind, but had incurred loss of them from subsequent causes. Etymologically, the word means moon-struck; and its use sprang from an idea that superinduced insanity was attributable to the baneful influence of the moon's rays; but long after that notion died out the word was retained. Moreover, because the phrase insane person is lengthy, and for want of any single noun to signify both classes of • sense of a person who either never had, or has lost, his reason. Thus, for a period between the most ancient and most modern wi'itings on the subject, lunacy appears as a common legal designation of insanity. But the older and stricter use of the word is as the antithesis of idiot. See Idiocy; Insanity. And progress in medico-legal science, developing new classifications of mental disease, and introducing a new nomenclature, has deprived "lunacy" of much of its character as a technical term, and practically remitted it to the vernacular. Lunacy is the common legal designation of insanity, or the state of being non compos mentis. The law takes notice of three degrees of lunacy; lunacy which exempteth in crime; lunacy which excuseth in contract; and lunacy which placeth the party and his property under the protection of the crown. Browa. Lunatic is defined by Blackstone as a person who hath had understanding, but by disease, grief, or any other cause, has become non compos mentis; that is, of mind so unsound as to be incapable of managing himself or his affairs. But by 16 & 17 Vict. ch. 70, § 2, passed in 1853, it is enacted that in that statute the word lunatic shall be construed to mean any person found by inquisition idiot, lunatic, or of unsound mind, and incapable of managing himself or his affairs. Mozky Sj- W. A lunatic is an insane person; one who has lost the use of his reason; and, strictly, one who has lucid intervals, sometimes enjoying his senses and sometimes not. Btarrill; Matter of Barker, 2 Johns. Ch. 232; Beverley's Case, 4 Coke, 124 b. Lunacy includes both the forms of mental alienation known respectively as mania and dementia. Matter of Vanauken, 10 N. J. Eq. 186. Lunatic, as iised in provisions of N. Y. Eev. Stat., relative to annulling marriage, extends to every person of unsound mind other than idiots. 2 Bev. Stca. 143, § 29. Lunacy acts. British statutes regulating the issuing and execution of commissions for ascertaining the insanity of M. M. Occurs in some legal abbreviations. See Table prefixed to Vol. I. It is also used as signifying one thousand. some individual. See De lunatico