Catchword: dementia americana
Part of Speech:
n. The part of speech reflects that used in the
full entry, and not necessarily the part of speech as it is used in the quotation below.
Quotation: “Ah, gentlemen,” said Mr. Delmas, dramatically, turning to the alienists who testified for the prosecution, “if you desire a name for this species of insanity let me suggest it—call it dementia Americana. That is the species of insanity which makes every American man believe his home to be sacred; that is the species of insanity which makes him believe the honor of his daughter is sacred; that is the species of insanity which makes him believe the honor of his wife is sacred; that is the species of insanity which makes him believe that whosoever invades his home, that whosoever stains the virtue of this threshold, has violated the highest of human laws and must appeal to the mercy of God, if mercy there be for him anywhere in the universe.”
Article or Document Title:
“Unwritten Law Thaw’s Last Hope”
Article, Document, Publication, Web Site:
Chicago Daily Tribune
Dateline:
New York City
Date of Publication:
Apr. 10, 1907
Page Number:
1