Unsoundness of mind; mad-nees; mental alienation or derangement; a morbid psychic condition resulting from dis-order of the brain, w’hether arising from mal-formatloh or defective organization or mor-hid processes affecting the brain primarily or diseased states of the general system impii-cating it secondarily, which involves the intellect, the emotions, the will, and the moral sense, or some of these faculties, and which is characterized especially by their non-devel-opment, derangement, or perversion, and is manifested, in most forms, by delusions, in-capacity to reason or to judge, or by uncon-. trollable impulses. In law, such a want of reason, memory, and Intelligence as prevents a man from comprehending the nature and consequences of hls acts or from distinguish-lng between right and wrong conduct. From both the pathologic and the legal definitions are* to be excluded temporary mental aber-ratlons caused by or accompanying alcohollc or other intoxication and the dellrium of fever. See Crosswell v. People, 13 Mich. 427, 87 Am. Dec. 774; Johnson v. Insurance Co., 83 Me. 182, 22 Atl. 107; McNeil v. Relief Ass’n, 40 App. Dlv. 581, 58 N. V. Supp. 122; Haile v. Rallroad Co., 60 Fed. 5G0, 9 C. C. A. 134, 23 L. R. A. 774; Meyers v. Com., 83 Pa. 136; Somers v. Pumphrey, 24 lnd. 245; Frazer v. Frazer, 2 Del. Ch. 263
Source: Black’s Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)
