The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-05
INSANITY IN FRANCE.
THE INCREASE OF LUNACY-FACTs AND FIGURES
OF AN IN EREsTING REPoRT-THE INFLUENCE
OF EVENTS UPON MADNESS.

The Paris correspondent of the London
Daily Neaos writes to that journal on Novem-
Der Z:
"Dr. Trelat, the head of the Salpetriere,
and the author of La FOlie Lucide, Dr.. Mo-
De Tours, DR.. Delaneuve and other
medical men have addressed a report to the
Municipal Council on lunacy and lunatc asy-
lums in France. / wonder DR.. Blanche, the
Forbes Winslow of the Paris Faculty of Medl-
cine, has not appeared in this report. Inc
mad doctors statistics are discouraglng TO
those wishing to believe in the progressive
character of our age, In 1901 there were 946
insane persons in thu Department OF the
Seine. The ever is o; the closing decade OF
the eighteenth century, and OF the opening
year of the present, were in France, and more
especially in Paris, Of nature to unhinge
weak minds.
Madness showed no remarkable increase
under the restored nor under the constitu-
tional monarchy when the system of registra-
ton was very perfect, and families had
ceased to keep their demented members at
home. The great extension OF hum unity
took place under the Empire. In the first
sixty-five years OF this century the popula-
ton of Paris was Increased In three-told
ratio, while its lunatics multiplied six fold.
4
raising of the octroi duties, and the rapidly
increased importation of cheap Wines The
poor man was thus deprived OF wholesome
drink. He was in the habit Of taking wine at
all his repasts and when it was impossible to
furnish him with the pure uice OF the grape
at a price he could affJrd 10 pay, the winners
drugged their watered piquette and petit
bleu with alcohol. Madness falls heaviest In
Paris on the artisans and cooks.
Next to them is the trading class. insanity
is not frequent in men belonging to liberal
professions, and the proportion Is lowest
among gardeners and spade-laborers. The
doctors signing the report do not take into
account the injurious agency OF loaded tin,
which was to certain extent countenanced
by the government in 1862, when the Min
istry of war allowed hardware contractors to
use six per cent of lead in the timing Of mill
tary camp kettles and other culinary vessels.
"When the little finger of the Dell is allowed
into our affairs he soon gets his hail hand in. -
It was so with the authorization l allude to-
The police, whenever they fell foul of dis
honest hardware merchant, were VIGOROUSLY
shown that government allowed them to lead
soldiers saucepans; and soldiers, every one
knew, were dearer to the Emperor than
civilians Under cover of the six per cent OF
the deleterous metal a much heavier percent
age was added. In eating housss the cop
pers and iron stew-pans are constantly lnneo.
Now, it happens that Paris workmen seldom
breakfast or dine at home They go to gar
roHes where they get food cooked in deleEeri-
Gus vessels, and are supplied with drugged
wine. -,
Dat of 1922 cases, in 1874, of insanity, 124
were traceable to hereditary predisposition.
Bat from the shape OF the skulls the doctors
signing the report are led to think that at
least half of the mad people in Paris have
had. in near degrees Of consarguinlty insane
ancestors. They are silent on the subject OF
hair DIVES, though some well known allenlsts
have set them down as cause of cerebral
disturbance. DR.. Trousseau cured many pa
tents OF racking nervous headache by per-
shading them they looked as old with dyed as
with gray hair. Coloriug matter having tor
it's basis litharge or nitrate Of silver can not
he annlied with impunity to the head Old
bachelorhood is not favorable to soundness OF
mind. The ratio of unmarried to married
lunatics over forty-fye years OF age is as So2
to S55.
Contrary to what one might have expected,
more French men than French women go out
OF tbs ir minds. IT women are more inclined to
nervous diseases, the safety-valve IS more
easily opened They exhale their nervous
irritation in tears and sobs and short endur.
ing tempests. They eat precisely the same
food as their male relations and as much OF 1t,
as the masters of the restaurants we'll know.
In good society they perhaps drink as much
wine But they have not yet got to the ante
prandial absinthe, nor do they smoke. they
are also sober in the use of coffee and seldom
take tea. Perhaps it is to the advantage o.
the fair sex that men only are allowed into
the Rourse. Women interested In the tuc'
tuations of the money market can not eniel
that pandemonium.
Tn every nine hundred and forty-six in.
babitants Of Paris there is one lunatlc. .
foreiyners confined in the public mad
houses. there are forty-six Belgians, twenty
nine Germans, seventeen Swiss, nine Italians
and five English. Cures are more frequen
in the country asylums Of the Paris munich
pality than in the city. On the other hand
| the demented become more ungoVernabl.
insane when sent to distant establishments
such as those of Pont lAbbe, Arch and Tou
louise, where they rarely can be visited by
| their relations The sight OF relations tac'
nroionos lucid intervals. The French mine
Is more liable to become deranged between
| thirty and forty than at any other period O
life Public events give distinct characte
| to mania.
In 1916 the asylums had their contingent
Of social reformers, of NIessiahs and founder
of religions. That was the time when Georg
Sand gave her apocalyptic visions to tn
noyel-reading world, and when Pierre Lerou
thought he was inspired to write Gospel
Enfantin set up to perpetrate the mysteries o
the life to come; Nasal had his g Morale In
dependante" on hand, and Proudhon, instea
of cutting his cur dogs tail, proclaimed tbs
.Dieu c'est le mai" Saviors of society an
omniarchs had their turn, | remember, i
1852 Toward the close of the Empire Their
was an inventive mania. Daring the selg
men went mad in attempting to devise mean
for destroying the Prusslans wholesale. Reg
nault. an unfortunate engraver, who atterwar
poisoned himself for grief at the deaf
of his dog, fancied he had conquere
the difficulties OF aerial locomotloI
and could, if the government az
corded him 100000 francs, construct
balloon which would take 1900 beeves int
the beleagured city. Lunatics now not III
frequently amuse themselves in framing COL
stitutions and devising schemes OF army r
form. DIR. Trelat ana his brother physician
protest against the rule made at the instig
: ton of M. De Cumont against clinical lecture
Inn, Kant IN a tba STA