The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-04-24

which is suggestive Of much that comes home
to every mans business and bosom. The cure
of insanity is still problem to be solved by
medical science. The disease, being mental,
though sometimes springing from physical
causes, is necessarily subtle in its nature, and
extremely difficult to treat. The forms of in
sanity are very different, hardly any two cases
being precisely alike. It Is, therefore, manifest
that the treatment cannot be uniform. but must
vary with the exact nature of the particular
case. Some progress has been made within the
last few years in the treatment of this terrible
malady, but it is rather of negative than of a
positive kind. Physicians have discovered what
to avoid in order not to aggravate the disease
and render it incurable but they have found no
specific remedies 1t is nature must perform
the cure; and the most that can be done
is to take care not to obstruct nature,
but if possible to assist its operations.
''Ten years of my life," says Guislain, shave
been spent in interrogating the living man and
|. the dead body; ten more have been given up to
reflection upon what I saw; during the latter
years only have learned how to cure the in
sane" But Notwithstanding this individual
knowledge, acquired by experience, the medical
faculty are still cropping in the dark, and what
ever any man knows on the subject he must gain
chiefly by his own observation. AS is well OBJ
served by this report "Insanity, unlike geome
| trical problem, which, once mastered, is fully
known, presents in each patient psychological
study from which only by long and careful at
tention to particulars can any general principles
be drawn. Much is yet to be learned by expe-
rience, and much must ever lie hidden from hu.
man knowledge
1t is nevertheless true that some asylums are
more successful than others in sending out pa
tents cured. But we apprehend that the
success very much depends on the inge-
nuity of the physician in "amusing the pa
tient while nature performs the cure"
The subject is one of great interest and great
importance to the community, and deserves all
the attention which can be bestowed upon it.
No man can tell when such disease may seize
upon himself or some of his nearest and dearest
kindred. 1t therefore Immediately concerns all
men in this point Of view, to say nothing Of the
aspect presented bV leaving at large that class
of lunatics known as Dangerous" 1t appears
that there is about one in every four hundred
persons insane in Massachusetts,, and we suppose
there is nearly the same proportion in New
York. In Connecticut and Massachusetts, there
is more insanity in proportion to the population
than in other States of the Union, which
is accounted for by the great mental ac-
tivity Of these States, and also by the greater
number of cases of religious madness where
isms and sects abound, aud men and women are
more enthusiastic on the subject Of religion than
in other States. On the last day Of the year
1858 there were in the City Asylum 655 cases;
but the Resident Ply stefan remarks that the num-
Der of insane is much greater than appears from
the reports Of the hospital, aud no accurate cen.
sus has been taken Of the insane in the city or
State In Massachusetts,, in accordance with
resolution of the Legislature in 1854, careful
examination was made in every town. The popu.
lation was 1,l24,676, Of whom 1000 were of
foreign birth. There were 1852 lunatics (2,OO7
native, 625 foreign one lunatic to
every 427 persons The New York report
says
In 1850 there we're in this city Sol 1872 inhAbtans Of
half OF the Whole number The present probable popuIa
ton nearly 500 000 Assuming this 10 be the true
per- ana allowing the ratio OF insanity 70 be equal to that Of
Massachusetts, tnere would be about 1000 persons
in New York city.
The habits Of large cities are calculated to pro-
duce insanity in greater degree in proportion
to the population than in the rural districts in
smaller towns. The insanity in New York,
therefore, ought to be greater than in the proper
ton Of its population. The nativity of those
admitted last year was 70 Of native birth (of
which 81 we're of this State), while those Of TO-
| reign birth numbered 2S3 of which the chief
items were as follows:-Ireland, 1866 Germany
II; England, "a. But these numbers do not rep
resent the actual insanity, for they do not in.
clude the persons sent to private asylums, who
are, for the most part, born in this country One
great source of the foreign-born lunatics in the
asylum is the fact that the Commissioners of
| Emigration have their buildings in this county,
and for that reason send to the City Asylum on
| Blackvell's Island all Of their violent insane,
whether from shipboard, from their own hospi-
tails, or such as are returned directly to them
| from other counties The religion of those ad-
r1itted during 1858 was Of l79 persons Ca.ho-
| lie, of lC2 Protestant, and Of IA Jewish The
males were l29, the females 226.
| The ages at which the insane become inmates
Of the asylum vary, but the great majority are
admitted between twenty and forty. BY far the
largest number In the case Of males Is from thirty
to forty, being double the number of the pre-
ceding ten years. In the case of females the
number is rather greater from twenty to thirty
than from thirty to forty. 1t Is worthy Of re-
mark, that Of ninetytwo deaths in the hospital,
thirty, or nearly one-third, were Of consumption,
which shows one Of two things-eithcr that the
place is very unhealthy, or that there Is some
thing in insanity connected with consumption.
The causes Of the insanity are not given in