, 1883-10-04
Statistics o. Insanity

tiou Of the Jult"d States Was lr-~
than Z&.G"!'#l, there WEI" Ht1. i.'s'''
idiots and insane persons t. cEyfE
l.#rl"" inhabitants Wh"ToH7 I'D r., t17'
,Larr N'r" j,"ht r.i i''"-'-'- l-'-
i-. thr number had more than pro
pofGouat' y doubled N' 'hI-'', Il
can be easily proved iH'l !H''-' NJ
UTc7 are deceptive, and that lA' III
ference drawn from th'.h ny '..-
English contemHoiaiE cannot 80
Justified If the "TItef desires 10 con
VcE the Impr"--i2l 'i-,.l 'i5'i' '''9
been any increase "hat'N', III ''.-'7
% tins .EIi among ii.''lE d" -A'lI' I',..--' -
"- tho-" of Al'.ira4 "'-,,i,.- ~,
i'nr- ~ vino H"lu",.' tat' article "''.i,'
probably "' ~if! ''l.'.@' were l''' 90 iii
-p,c, In reports %. 'sit insane ~ q .
Ian at tie pro ~ .l'"i,'t i'''-''. u "i
pattcas- t4-y rtalii" " NJ - -.y ~
al Great i'rlti..a' OF o. -ii7ii' ''~o'-'t
1r English a'a-ri',. I'm Il -"--i't-
Wy lr would r' no loss ih,-i'-''"
la learning ta"s germany rune
I,"lE and other European oo'tH'l -'.s
furnish {: l2' -. -'.i'z-t'i Ii4i''t,'o.-' ~
IA" !:im1'e" "a oi' Dr.i'| o'e"' m.
tIton~ tHau d''7 o'if H"Iis t'',53'' ~
ton In th">' -ao'9 IS i'''ii,- 'i-s
CHEF reason Tor the lAcre@7.' 80 We
viii proceed t. snow. coAhhinS 'u'
selves TO the statistics oi lh9aLltt
which VIII 1a!Tly represent Iil' ''-1'-3
question.
In 1870 the European peasant nag
| tory hand and mechanic ma" 7cafteIS
discovered that America was iand
/ Of Z ON 50. He had not then TO any
extent brought his muscle, ms power
! y OF his law 'essuess to ana on the
one hand III deyciopIug our leSotf2's'
and on the other 20 tiI o'T DG1'eEo-
lent and penal institutions. There
fore. the buiko the rop!iat.2h peliiS L,
50 largely native, the fatio ,.l OF iii9iiii'S
WAS SO low a. to attract niue alteh-
ton. About tnat Tune we began %
| be drluEed %ith ioteiSh ll!iiiis5I''ii'E -
and the Overflow. from over populated
Europe has continued with occasion,
ally Iessencd volume to TINS day \
few simple figures Will Snow the "lS,
proportion OF insane paIlent5 cI5 oi
foreign birth IN our aSEiuilIS III IHo'.
OF the 91,99I lrsane then placed on
record, 65,99. were OF hatiyc ana 70
3l6 OF foreign birth. Ihat Is, d
forelSn-born ,poPuiauOh hJ'ihHeIihS :
only one-el@hth OF our population
furnished about one-thlfd OF our IA
sane, We're tins estimate e4tehueo
so as TO nclude all pefSoha porh III
America OF foreign pafehtaSe, the
dlsprOp9rtlon could be shown 10 DC
still more reIharkaDle- IhGfe ai'
several reasons for the tendency L
insanity among, Immigrants. Oul
asylums are filled pl1nclpaiIy non
the poorer classes and "A large pro
portion OF the Immigrants are poor
1t can, indeed, De proved tl''t many
OF them have been pauperS an" o5
mented. HomesicknesS, the "eihofaI
lzauon that toiioWs the disruption %
Old ties and the lall'lIe 70 succeed
explain the rest
We may ma some more Paftic
ular points OF lli'ts.r'uoh ~ ~
the experience, OF S"hioThla VIII
its insane, VINO have 1or Il long tllh' I
been out or propo- tloh 70 our PoPtt
iation. Our iGrelSh PoplldSioh s i i
zJz,boo, Oh Whlcn tle = Cllliie9c ItiI mo- '1
a large contingent; oO Our ila'iHe tylII yoI
CITIZEN number o'z,OoS' OF illolG 'll'i !
twice rs many as tGoSe norm t1 aotodll I',.'l
Cut OF 4o3 pa1ehts IN t1ea tne illSln' .f'llie
Asylum at o5oektoh in 10 10, D., CileIe iiel-
were ZoZ OF 1oTelSh oirth' Loo ociL !i
IN America ana 10 whose nHt4FiI9
was unknown; W t4esG 80 - Were sI
Irish and 10 Chlnese. In loi = Oh +a7 ta5
patients at the same asylum, AoI
were native 200 lort5!l =; anu = .. ..
unknown 4au TlIy- ,d riSilIS -l"o ~ ~
these were lfl5n ''lG % oeiili''ii, .iL, . 'oli
numbers greatly apo'e the pIppG,l
roportion OF the GerlhaiL anu II 19i
population OF the SIJ!e' tiie lpLLiel iIi'
Pfopoftlohately eNceeulhS que laItsf
lettering TO tne report oI Ille -AsJ J, itiil u
a6 Napa, Wnlch mas us sndIe "a 'Ii'
insane OF the State we -d iiil9 ~ Iii3i o
433 patients there IN Io'9' 1iz Were Were
natives OF the ohiIed 2ta'es anu -o'
OF foreign blrth- ms 1lst comp 'LiSes ,S
~ OF IRISH birth, Y OF En$liSh; ~, o.
Terman and Is OF ffehcn nativity
An examination OF the insane reports
OF other States gives IKE results
showing that our insane asyl4ms art
h-ied with persons OF forelSn Diftn OF
descent, out OF all proportion 10 the
natVe-born patients VINO aVail lheh
selves OF their advantages ,
There Is another consideration tha'
must not be omitted Inc American =.
asyluIns OF 1ooo We're poor ana th
complete compared WIN tilose 7'a. OF TO 10
gay, ana ie"ef people IL IL l1i1l'oI'lon u
nI;anca Iyhatber 4 be IN the wav 81
/ heantifnI surronndin@s or Skilled af
tondonca tbot can Le ;1IagipeJ an5
~