Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-09-12

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find a greater proportion of insanity
among them, hut as they are less vio-
lent and Duisterous than male patients,
they are more apt to be kept at home.
There is also one form of insanity, from
which females are totally exempt, called
general paralysis of the insane; this u.s.
ually selects for its victims stout, robust
men, in the prime and vigor of life. 1t
is always fatal, destroying both mind
and body, in from one to three years.
Exciting causes are such as may hap
pen to befall an individual, within whom
the germ of insanity appears to exist in
latent form, and by which the disease
is said to have been brought about, at
this particular time. We speak of these
as moral and physical causes. The
former are those which are supposed to
produce their effects by acting through
the emotions, sentiments, passions and
affections, the latter producing their
effects through physical defects, dis
eases or injuries. These, however,
merge into each other SO closely, that it
is always difficult to place II line of de-
markation between them. and impos-
sible to say where, in any given case,
the one began Or the other ended. In
sanity is seldom traced to any one par
ticnlar cause, but usually to combina-
ton OF causes, any one of which acting
alone, would have but little influence;
but when taken together, develop the
disease. Of the various causes of in
sanity, standing at the head of the list,
as the most prolific, is drunkenness,
which sends more persons to asylums
than all other evils together. Not only
do the victims of intemperance them
selves, crowd our asylums, but other
members of families where this curse
has cast its withering blight, are driven
to desperation by poverty, anxiety and
disgrace, until the mind becomes un-
hinged, and they too, are gathered into
the asylum; while hereditary insanity
also, owes large proportion of its
victims to inebriate parents. Next to
drunkenness we place over-work, long
continued mental anxiety. This may
extend over period of many years;
here is the slow but constant wear by
which the machine itself ultimately gives
out. Disappointed ambition, the want
OF means to support q family, the con-
slant complainings and torment of an
ill-tempered husband or wife, jealousy,
unrequieted love, these and thousand
kindred troubles are the frequent causes
which help populate the wards of our
asylums. A number of others might
be mentioned as frequent causes, but
not nearly so common rs those above
mentioned. Such, are sudden mental
shocks, terrible fright, blows on the head,
exposure to prolonged or excessive heat,
sun-stroke, etc. Cases are also met
with which are due to acute bodily dis
ease; women are more apt to become
insane during pregnancy, after child
birth, or while nursing, at the age when
the catamenia first appears, or when it
ceases. Self-pollution is another cause
which occasionally sends young people
to asylums, however, great majority
of the cases usually attributed by the
laity, to this source, are due in fact to
very different causes. To sum up, us
ing the words of an eminent English
alienist: Men and women become
insane because it is their nature and
constitution to develop insanity, and
when we hear that this or that has
caused their insanity, it is often their
restless and half-crazy brain that has
made mountains out of molehills, and
given an objective existence to troubles
and vexations which exist in their minds
subjectively, and have no outward real
ity whatever" EsCULAPIUs.
AN OLD SPENDTHRIFT. was an
old couple at the Central depot the
other day, waiting to 60 through to the
West, and they seemed loving enough
until the old man went out and returned
with five-cent cigar in his mouth, and
his hat slanting over his left ear. The
wife leoked at him twice before she
could recognize him, and opened her
mouth and said: Now what'd I tell
We, Ph:letus Remington, before we left
New Jersey? Didn't I say you'd go
and make fool of yourself the first
chance you got" He tried to pacify
her by saying that the cigar only cost
fve-cents, but she shouted: "You
teased and teased till let you git your
boots blacked, then you wanted some