Chapter 2: The Emergence of Obsession

In this chapter, Davis talks about monomania and how it was originally the first diagnosis defining what we refer today to as obsession.  Several people had their own definition of monomania, but generally speaking “monomania” basically meant a disease involving a preoccupation with a certain thought or idea, and being able to think with reason, but unable to stop your train of thought.  Also, similar with the notion of partial insanity, monomania was believed to affect only one or several parts of the brain or “faculties” while the remainder of the brain was in a state of perfect health.  Davis explains that monomania had seemed to replace the “quartet” and was seen as a disease of civilization.  It had become very popular, and I was surprised that monomania was frequently used as a defense for people who had made very serious crimes like murder