Report of the Proceedings Under a Brieve of Idiotry, Peter Duncan Against David Yoolow, Tried at Coupar-Angus, 26-30 Jan. 1837, with an Appendix of Relative Documents, and an Introduction

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The object of the inquiry is to ascertain the mental state of a man named David Yoolow. Yoolow is described on the one hand as "a complete imbecile - totally unable to manage his o wn affairs" (p. 4) yet the defence describes him as "a rational, an intellectual, and a moral creature" (p. 9). Yoolow is determined to be "an idiot" at the end of the trial despite the defence's attempts to portray humans in general as foolish and unintellectual: "Do we not daily see men and women, of all ranks, leaping and bouncing on the floor till they are about to fall down with fatigue, and call it dancing?" (p. 97). Show more