New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-02-13

sun si T sbocIi1r He who has not learned
that there is q time for silent tongue aug pinu9a
Tor Tho tbonsandth time thin, fragile, and most
peaceable woman called the physician 70 heI sl9e,
and said land he had previously repeated whst sne
incb nieces and put in the engine furnace that
NAV die for can die in no other way, nor can IA
ther" AS she said this, the lines Of her lips
closed straight like the lines Of the mouth Of fish,
As we walked away the physician said In all my
Experience have seen no human being whose suffer
ing equals hers There was the wie u 81 Iost minister
Then we came among the demented. One prgnt-
looking Young woman lay IN her room on cream Nnte
bed, and as we went and came she called gay, Dus no
attention was paid to her. She so smart and 80
wicked that she made disturbance wherever she was
placed She delighted in writing letters and dropping
them from the window. As a last resort, she was was
brought among the demented, and since they Woulu
not speak to her could understand heI' she
had gone to bed, and there she lay IKE NY;
Crouchng in corners. sitting idly and speechiess ana
only looking with round eyes, these poor crea-
TIRES Two sat together and looked up WIN eyes 50
strange as to seem preternaturaly bright; their com
nlexiOn was not stained their health seemed good
and though their garments were coarse ana OF "a a
faded color and their hair was cut short they III
some respects resembled the loved young wives OF
happy husbands and who perhaps might nave pccn
mothers only once but now. thev require the care
which mother bestows. There is general eoiiapso
and breaking down of muscles and nerves. anu 'ho
coffin and grave clothes are ready; .oo ..;...,
There are in this institution about GOO pauehtts
The number in any asylum where treatment y W 10
successful should not be much above loI on o .ro
physician can study every case. There shoud De sy
Inns in other parts of the State each Tor the treatment
of This number Great injury results from bringing
patients long distance, for some die upon ,nolI az
rival and Others a short time afterward. The cures
are only about IS in 100 cases But In the county O
Oneida, where the Asylum is located, more thah ~
i'm 100 cases are cured, and in some years All
This is because they have immediate care
and because the disease is not aggIaValeu
by the distractions of travel when the uls
lance is great friends delay long as possible anu
davia de- nrOlDnHs
Der in one institution is so large, claSslhcatl0n
more difficult details must give way to generanes
and amusement and occupation VIII be more or less
NEGLECTED. The attendants in the Utica Asylum ap-
peared faithful. but there are limits 10 human
endeayOrs and the knowledge of the chief physicians
seemed to me remarkably broad and acIte Ihe
chief obstacles TO lie In tho great number Oh
chronic and ncurable insane They overflow IN our
asylums and they crowd our country poor-houses,
where recovery is impossible, while many are among
their friends. The truth is simply tins. sufficient
number of asylums best fitted to heal the insane
should be established, and SO located that every
recent case could be treated at once, ana theD ana
then only will this large class of ncurabies cease 10
exist This applies TO the future, not to the present.
and it is manifest that If only economy is 10 DC con-
sdered this plan is preferable.
% wards Only those for cOnyaescens are supplied
Much good can be done by having pictures winch
will present pleasing scenes of domestic ana rnral
life of cities rivers, and mountains, OF the setung
SUM- of the struggling through clouds OF ships
at sea- of flowers and of birds, that the mind may be
called from gloomy thoughts. when nature with her
marvellous skill will commence her work OF cure
That cures are effected by the help OF such means
there is no doubt The ladies of New-lork City, OF
ALBANY Rochester, Buffalo and other places should
organize as was done in Philadelphia, to sotclt con-
| ACQUAINTANCE will refuse. There other needs
There should be portable cabinets of curiositles OF
| various kinds There is only one piano and there
should be as many ten instruments either pianos
| melodeons, cabinet organs. The good when
music would do can scarcely be estimated. IheLeg-
isature Is not likely to make appropriations and 1t
. | will dane ladies
| Ney-York that this noble charity shall not be DEN
Gent in any means which their gracious efforts can
In long conversation with DR.. Gray, the methods
| of cure and the causes of insanity were consdered
| The whole subject Is new TO science and 1T seems
surprising that il does not form part Of medical
education. The first step assumed in treating pa
tent that lie is capable Of sefcOntro and that he
il responsible being Not TO DO this ~ TO abandon
discipline and to be deprived of the means OF srcllr-
ing good behavior and sefEespect II is therefore,
constant aim to urge the cultivation OF sei-con
proprieties of life. With little encouragement the
great majority nearly able to control their pas
tients differ according to peculiar forms of the maady
and their previous training, but in only very Few is
the moral sense botted out 1t is when the means ans
for assisting sefcontrol have been delayed that the
insane condition progresses into dementa or mbeeil
ity In most cases. periods of frenzy are succeeded
bv periods of comparative serenity. but recOlec-
| tion of the frenzy remains. Then kind guardian
will urge the adoption of such course as VIII pre-
vent return of the frenzy. Where the methods are
business Of life, the attainment is not difficult But
there is a class of patients quite the reverse Ihey
may first be noticed in common ilfe beng mean SELF
ish hypocritica and with little selfcontrO and the
transition into insanity a natural one Often
they are not suspected to be insane until they COM
| NIT some act which reveals their true condition,
when they become frightful exaggerations OF their
! former selves. In the Asylum they exhibit great
\ mental activity. connected with lncoherence and
moral perversiOn while they subject to alternate
conditions, neither of which is Influenced by the
win or any surrounding circumstances Usually
their case terminates in dementa. universal char
acterstc of insanity is the consciousness OF the pa
tient that he himself eXaggeIates his condition.
| natural treatment would be corporal punishment,
| and this was the treatment in the English mad
houses but il a total failure, because there was
investigation into the primary cause of this exag
Civilization adds to the number Of the causes Of
insanity but the prospect is not alarming Tor unless
there are changes civilization cannot be perpetuated.
There is an increase of insanity among the common
| people, because having inherited mental activity
they are without cultivation TO guide It, There is
an increase of insanity among educated people, be-
! cause having inherited muscular and nervous ac-
tivity they are without physical culture to support
| it. In both cases the brain becomes weak. Men
tally increases civilization progresses but can
be sustained in no other way than by uniting labor
| and mental culture Another well-established cause
is in forcing children to engage in studies beyond
their capacity, for, at the best the brain is weak
ened and it never can acquire full strength. To an
other cause which has been so often named that 1T
is not necessary TO repeat it, another is now added
and it is indicated by the decrease in population in
those places where culture, wealth, and fashion sg-
/ oest and furnish the means for avoiding response
| bility. Insanity is marked by unmistakable symp.
toms, among which lines of livid purple, and
| white along the lips, peculiar condition OF the
iepsy, by the color of the hands. These symptoms
are so marked that feigned insanity can be easily
detected. Still, while the dividing line is decided
one, it is like the line of river on map which
sends ailments into the territory upon each side.
Recently, new facts, with reference to insanity,
| have been discovered by means of microscopic ex-
/ mil nf ia aud Of
wholly invisible TO the unaided eye, have been pho
tographed. 1t seems that these cells become filled