Those who only know alienists' cabinets through the Grand-Guignol sets certainly have the wrong idea. Doctor Raviart, head doctor of the Esquermes clinic, did not receive me in a white and bare room among nickel-plated instruments, operating tables and glass cabinets which leave an impression of vague terror. I found myself very comfortable, on the contrary, in front of a desk that could have been that of a man of letters, surrounded by books, paintings and art objects. The atmosphere was chosen and my armchair welcoming.

- So, doctor, the most dangerous madmen are at large?

"This was, in fact, the subject of a conference that I delivered in Lille during the war. I justified my opinion there, of course. Since then the situation has not changed, neither has my opinion and you have reason to say again that “the most dangerous are at large”.

This seems to you to go against all preconceived ideas. The common sense of the public would respond to this disturbing assertion that asylums were built to intern the insane. If we don't put them all in there, or rather if we don't put the majority in there, as we should, who is to blame? Precisely to the public who are outraged by it.

But yes ! The public, as you know, like me, is always instinctively for the insane against the alienist, as long as the insane is not guilty of a crime. After the crime, the same public cried out, very angry: "We should have interned this madman." Thus, doctors are criticized for not doing their duty after having, unconsciously, prevented them from doing so."

- Do you really believe, doctor, that the public supports the mad against those who are responsible for treating them?

- "I will explain myself further. The public does not openly defend a proven demented person, but it too often declares that certain internees are not crazy. It fights for this idea, takes steps and ends up forcing the doctor to release the patient from the asylum. The public, who are not specialists, ignore the madmen that the doctor guesses. But mental medicine is a science which does not impose any. It does not install any complicated apparatus , it does not require any impressive laboratory. It happens that it is easily denied and everyone believes themselves capable of judging the mental health of all."

- So there are crazy people who are completely normal in appearance and whom a layman cannot unmask?

- "Perfectly. Alienation exists in all degrees and if what we call the heights of madness, that is to say idiocy, excitement, dementia and melancholy can be observed by no one no matter who, it is not the same for less characterized dementias.

It is one of the things most difficult to accept by the public that the possibility for the majority of demented people to be able to present, in their attitudes or their conversation, the appearance of people who are absolutely sane. Also ten times out of ten, a layman lets himself be taken in by the erudition or knowledge of a demented person without thinking that the illness can be combined with the most brilliant intellectual qualities.

Also, when we diagnose a case of madness, we are rarely followed by the crowd and you know the famous complaint that is made to alienists and which is formulated as follows: “The psychiatrist sees madmen everywhere”.

We don't see crazy people everywhere. The proof is that we very often have to detect simulators, and that we can say in fact that a simulator never enters our clinics.

Without doubt, we are interested in all psychopathic cases, even absolutely normal ones, as a watchmaker is interested in the mechanical particularities of a clock, even an excellent one. But there is a long way to go from there to interning everyone who comes into our hands. You can say that in fact, there has never been any arbitrary confinement for insanity.

All this is very difficult to make the public understand and among the public, I unfortunately include many magistrates and many courts. So do not find it surprising that a large number of dangerously insane people leave asylums, that a large number do not enter them because their family or friends, who are absolutely incompetent, refuse to let them in.

If we add to this all the ignored insane people who will only enter the asylum after the crime, you see that there are quite a few insane people on the loose. This explains the multiplication of bloody scenes within or outside families, and assassinations of all kinds that we learn about every day."

- What remedy do you see for this deplorable state of affairs?

- "There are several. First of all, the courts and the judiciary must have confidence in us, and the police commissioners and the agents of the authority, when presented with a complaint, do not wait for "the public action" which is often bloody to seek advice from the doctor and justify internment.

We should then educate the public, so that they realize the services that alienist doctors can provide to society.

And that depends above all on you..., gentlemen journalists!”

Georges FERRE.