Spiegel A D
State University of New York, Health Science Center, College of Medicine, Brooklyn 11203.
J Community Health. 1994 Jun;19(3):201-20. doi: 10.1007/BF02260380.
A confederate civilian physician shot and killed a white Union officer who was drilling Negro troops in Norfolk, Virginia. With no question as to guilt, President Abraham Lincoln decided to have a medical expert conduct a professional sanity/insanity examination. Documentation indicates that legal and political factors may have influenced Lincoln's decision. As a lawyer, Lincoln prosecuted a case where the insanity plea was used as a defense. Two influential Cabinet members, William H. Seward and Edwin M. Stanton, also had legal experience involving the insanity plea. Politically, Lincoln faced serious issues such as the draft riots, the military necessity to recruit slaves into the army, the impact of Union Negro soldiers upon the border states, the morale and discipline of the army and the upcoming presidential election. Upon Seward's recommendation, Lincoln chose a physician who had a reputation for finding the accused sane and who did so in this case. As the southern physician was hanged, Lincoln's means achieved the desired legal and political ends.
一名邦联平民医生开枪打死了一名正在弗吉尼亚州诺福克训练黑人士兵的联邦白人军官。在确定有罪无疑后，亚伯拉罕·林肯总统决定让一位医学专家进行专业的精神正常/精神错乱检查。文件表明，法律和政治因素可能影响了林肯的决定。作为一名律师，林肯曾起诉过一起以精神错乱抗辩作为辩护的案件。两位有影响力的内阁成员，威廉·H·苏厄德和埃德温·M·斯坦顿，也有涉及精神错乱抗辩的法律经验。在政治上，林肯面临着严重的问题，如征兵暴乱、招募奴隶入伍的军事必要性、联邦黑人士兵对边境各州的影响、军队的士气和纪律以及即将到来的总统选举。根据苏厄德的建议，林肯选择了一位以判定被告精神正常而闻名的医生，这位医生在本案中也是如此判定的。当这名南方医生被绞死时，林肯的做法达到了预期的法律和政治目的。
