Diagnosing Homicidal Mania

It is not every criminal defendant in late Victorian England who writes to the medical officer of the prison, inviting him to attend his trial and more than likely, his execution. The defendant had already discussed his forthcoming date at the Old Bailey with the prison doctor in a mood that bordered on ebullience: “he appeared in very great glee at being about to be … tried … he thought it would be a splendid sight … he said he would wear his best clothes and have his boots well polished—then he began to talk about his cats”. It might seem odd to shift the conversation so easily from a possible death sentence to asking about one's pets, but then, thirteen-year-old boys are often concerned about their pets, even thirteen-year-old boys who conspire with a younger brother to murder their mother and leave her body to rot for a week...