Cruciatus and insanity

[marinafrants]

No: HPFGUIDX 39051

The recent Memory Charm Symposium over in TBAY raised the question of
how the Cruciatus curse could've caused the Longbottoms to go insane.
I thought I'd throw in my own $.02 on the matter.

Cruciatus causes great pain without producing any injury that would
explain it -- no bruises or burns or broken bones or anything.  So I'm
guessing the spell affects the brain and the nervous system directly. 
If that's true, then prolonged exposure might cause actual physical
brain damage.  To someone unfamiliar with modern medicine (like
wizards, for example) the outward systems would look like madness.

Marina
rusalka at ix.netcom.com