The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-10
Insanity Among Farmers.
HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE,

WESTON, w. VA. Feb. 5.
CEditOr Weston Dsmocratl F1Hrl' .
In your paper of the I'd inst, I noticed
an article on ia Startling Theory Facts
for Farmers" corroborating, to certain
extent, an editorial in the Wheeling In.
TELLIeENcER on the same subject, name.
ly, the frequency OF insanity in the agri.
culturist or farmer. beg leave to cor.
rect your "theory and facts" ipasmuch
as your basis Of argument is without foun.
dation, and as a consequence, your well.
gotten up argument Is falacious; and Il
must congratulate the farmers that Il ia so,
otherwise l should expect them TO beat
their plow shares and pruning hooks into
something else, and we might not taste
the fruits OF their toll again.
Your mistake arose In not reading the
report OF the Hospital as Carefully as Won
should. You and the editor OF the In.
TELLIGRNcER make the same mistake.
and take the whole number of farmers
who have been inmates OF the Hospital
since its opening, (ten years) which Is one
hundred and six, and place them in the
Hospital 10 Che last year, when in fact
there are only ,thirty-six farmers under
treatment at this time, out of the one
hundred and fitty-one male patients, and
adopting your census report, that there
are u, 726 farmers in the State, 1t gives
one insane farmer to every, 2, 1913 who are
sane, which is avery small proportion
when compared with other occupations,
But different agricultural States will cor.
roborate this proportion, Not only will
States but counties In our own State bear
striking proportion. Take the figures
that there are 25,14S persons in the
State engaged in trades, manufactures
&C., and take the number who are credit.
ed from this class now, In the Hospital,
"a and welhaye one insane to every S9l
sane. This ia very large portion; but
the State Of Vermont, a manufacturing
State, has one insane person to 455 sane.
Take Ohio, 8 manufacturing county.
We have 81 reported-of these two only
are farmers, 10 are laborers and me-
chanics, and Il gives the proportion Of one
insane to every 800 sane. On the other
side, take the county Of Berkeley, q farm.
ing county. We have 8 insane-oi these
two are faFmers-and gives one insane TO
1859 sane. I Greenbrier has one insane 10
951 sane, and only one OF these Is a
farmer.
We will now refer to the different
States. First we will take the total pop.
ulalion Of the agricultural or farming
States ,.s III -
InIIN ~ mas Insane to.'...'....: 2ee sane.
Iowa mas insane to:.,...,....".. Sas7 -
KANSAS mas insane to............. 10TH
STATES OF MIXED OCCUPATIONS,
hHHryland has insane to-. -. ,a91 zane.
v vsssa%sse aas insane to. ....... 1870 q"
west Virginia has insane 70 ....... li0O
MANUFACTURING Stairs.
MAesAehusetta I to every. ~ Hss apa
nSeey hempahlre Ito every, &. 800 81"
hnole Island ! TO every. ~ 4! ~ B06 10
NSItuOnsA W evcsy. ..S @..sS...ss 456a |"
Inc proportion Of insane in the United
States Is TO 1881 sane, IN -,
From the foregoing statistics we feel
justified in the assertion that farmers and
agriculturlsts are much less liable to In
sanity than laborers and mechanics
And when we take into consideration that
I'LL Health" stands first In the causes 81
insanity in America, we may readily con.
cluds that occupations most Conducive "a
health are lesa liable to mental 1isease !;
The class Of persons who have compe.
tency, with no fear Of want, and are Wen
ted and clothed, and obey the laws Of
health, even II they do o large amount Of
brain work, are less liable tomentalr dis,
eac1 than those who are less favored y tor
tune, such as laboring population, who