Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-07-19
go. From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
STATISTICS OF INSANiTY

The Cincinnati Herald of a late date.
contains a curious article of insanity. The
editor notices some statistical details recent
~ gwen by Il gentleman of France. i'm which
he endeavors 10 prove that insanity is often
transmitted by parents, and more frequently
by mothers than fathers. Ii appears that out
of lob lunatics affected with hereditary insan-
ny, the disease had been transmitted by the
mother 27l times, by the father lS2 times
the difference, 50 or one third.
The transmission by the mother then. is
more frequent by onc-third than by the father.
Another result al which he arrived was. that
lie insanity oi the mother was more serious
III ITS consequences than that of the father. be-
ing transmitted to a greater number of the
children. Out of27l families, affected by the
mother with insanity, the disease at the period
when the observations Were taken, had declar
eu ftsef. Time.
IN one enid only 203
III TWO chllur'n, 62
I'm three children, 3
In four children,
Total of insane children, 27l
In o~ne-iourth of the cases then, the disease
mat been communicated 10 several children.
Out oil Isl families affected by the father
with insanity, the complaint had, at the time
when observations were made, attacked
Times
oHe cIliu Only, 1872
Two children, Dc
Three children, A
Total insane children. IS2
In but one-sixth then of these cases, war,
several children in one family affected.
III Il worthy OF remark that, while hercdita
~ consumption, ~scrotula, &c. commonly az.
iect several Numbers of a family, not unfr,-
quently the whole of the offspring. hereditar,
insanity for the most part attacks but one mem.
Der. by the foregoing tables, il appears, tina
III only ten cases out of four hundred and fifty.
three, were more than two children i'm a fam.
lily affected.
These details are curious, and not without
interest To medical men, philanthropists and
others. 1t is also stated that INSANITY is mor,
frequently transmitted from the mother 10 the
daughters. and from the father to the sons
Oi ZIG children who inherited the disease from
me mother, NJ. Baillarger found 1879 girls and
lI9 boys-showing a difference of Is or about
one-iourth. OF 2lj TO whom the father had
transmitted the complaint. rs were bows. a
girls-onc-third more bows.
Insanity, therefore. is more frequently trans.
united To the girls than to the BOYS. from I'M,
mother, IN tn proportion of one fourth. and
TO the boys than To the girls, from the father
III the proportion Onc-third.
Another IA wo thy o note is. that Will
oi 21l boys, ll6 derived their insanity from
th, moth"r, and l25 from tn father. of 27l
girls, lS9 derived their insanity from the mo.
thcr and only 50 from the father.
Investigations OF this kind are too much
neglected IN this country. We are glad ia
notice, however, that of late years more attcn.
ton has been paid to them. The indiyilnal
Is lndecd a phiIdnthrophist, who not satisfied
with amaliorating the condition of the suffer
ing and the afflicted of his race, endeavors To
trace the causesoi mental of physical mfr
mites. and if possible. to discover prevcntiyc
measures with reference to the rising genera.
ton, and Tor the government of future philan-
thropists.