New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-09-28


America exclusively devoted to the insane. The
New.York Hospital was first founded in l773 but
having been suspended during the war, was re-
oneped in June, 1871, and since 1906 has main
tanned a separate department for lunstics. The
Mss,.cbusetts General Hospital, which was IN
cor,orsted in IslI, established the Mclean Asy-
lam in 1913. The Friends Asylum, at Frank
ford Pa. was founded in ISIS and opened in 1917.
Tn 1921. the Bloomingdsle Asylum of the New
York Hospital was opened, its inmates having
been transferred from the City Hospital. The
Kentucky Asylum at Lexington was founded In
1s22 and opened in 1924, and in April Of the same
year the Retreat for the Insane at Hartford.
Each year has witnessed the continued increase
of these nsti buttons, and their success has led to
the establishment of many others. The total
number of patients in the various hospitals 81 tue
present time is about 5000, and the aggregate
number Of all received by each since its opening
approxmates to $4,000. These noble institutions
have been established at great expense, their
large edifces having generally been constructed
in the best manner, and containing all the mod
ern improvements. Very few of them have cost
less than 100000 for construction alone, the
majority having cost from $1,000 to 100000
and several, like that at Utica, have been mach
more expensive structures The pleasure grounds
attached to each usually embrace at least one
hundred acres, and those lately established have
much more than this. Some Of the State Hospl-
tails have over 400 patients, which number has
been found altogether too large for one in.
stitution-tbat is, for the proper care OF one prin
cipal ply sician-and hence those recently erected
are designed for not more than $50.
Although the provisions of the several States
for these hospitals are highly creditable to ther
civilization and iberality, they have not yet &C
comulished half of what is demanded Not one
State affords accommodation for all OF its own
insane, norprovides perfectly, nor even sufficiently,
for those it actually has in charge. Not more
than onethird of the lunatics in the United States
are in asyums. Four States-New York, Mas.
sachusetts Pennsylvania and Ohio-have each
four hospitals; but in neither of these States is
ouch accommodation sufficient and several States
in the South and West have not established even
one. The census of 1850 was the first in which
the insane were reported by themselves alone,
and its returns were as follows: l4,912 whites,
81 free cOlOred and 327 sayes-totsl 1850;
and three .fhs of these were born in those States
in which they were then living. In regard to
the correctness of these statistics it is the opinion
of many superintendent Of hospitals and others
that they do not include all who should have been
returned We find in the last report of DR.. Ray
of the Butler Hospital an account of his CONVEX
sation with an Assistant Marshal of Rhode Island
who described the freaks and delusions Of one Of
his neighbors, but did not report him among the
insane, because "he knew some things as well as
"ever;" and, as this eminen. physician justly
remarks, chow many of those who were en-
"ployed to take the last census were fairly
represented by this worthy, twOuld be needless
to inquire"
The science of successfully treating the insane
has of late years been materially improved and ex
tended in the United States by the " Associa-
" ton of Medical Superintendent of the several
hospitals, which was organized at Philadelphia
in l645 and has since met annually. OF its SEES
sions for the last FIVE years one was held at Bos-
ton on June 1S, 1850, one at Philadelphia on May
81. 1851, one at New-York in May, 1852, one,.at
Baltimore on May $40, 1853, and one at Washing
ton on May g. 1854. Great good has been accom-.
plshed by these meetings, in producing greater
uniformity in the care of patients and the construe-
ton ofhosptals and from the of
ideas and experience among its members. In re
gard to the supposed increase of insanity, the Su-
perintendents are not fully agreed This point
il not readily susceptible Of direct proof, and it
can only be satisfactorily settled by statistics
which are not yet sufficiently accurate and CON-
plete to be entitled to much confidence. On the
contrary, the conclusions TO which they have led
are marked with scarcely single exception, BY
positive error and deception, and hence are es-
teemed of little value by scientific physicians.
However, many Of these whose opinions are en-
titled to high respect believe that insanity is now
increasing in most, if not ALL civilized communi-
ties Esquirol, whose extensive observation was
characterized by practical sagscity that his
never been surpassed, always contended that in
sanity is one of those diseases which result, in q
great measure, from the peculiar influences of
civilization, and have been steadily increasing
with every advance of the race in knowledge and
refinement. Especially in this country it would
seem that insanity s on the increase, arising from
excessive devotion to business, hereditary trans
mission, intemperance and vicious indugences.
Although it is rarely the case that insanity is pro-
duced by AM one cause alone, yetit sometimes re-
ltsfrom eIcessive intemperance, and thisisamong
the most incsrsble forms of mental disease.
Macnish has reported the case of one who replied
to the circumstances of his friends: Your re-
..marks are lust and too true: but cannot resist