Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-01-10
REASONS FOR
Modern Fast Life Filling Insane
AsylumS.


Asylums.
Robert Garrett, BARLEY Campbell, Charlie
Johncs, Amos Learned, Joe Dion-the bust
ness man, the playwright, the broker, tho
journalist, the expert billiard player-gone
insane; state, city and private asylums
crowded with crazy men and women. Why
is itl Does the fault lie in our way Of liv-
ing, are brains growing weaker, or is it an
inevitable tendency and evil Of the agcl
These are the questions thoughtful persons
have been asking the past few days as the
names Of well know people were added to
the list Of the insane
What is insanity, and why are people be-
coming insanel
These questions were asked today Of a
number of well-posted physicians. In sub
stance the confusion was that insanity is
either due 70 excess or to deficiency Of nor
NAL modes of mental action. 1t was stated
that that which is common TO every form of
insanity, which is frequently its first mani
festation, and which in so far as it exists,
renders the lunatic irresponsible for his Est
ions, is deficiency Of voiitional control over
the current Of thought and feeling, and con-
sequently want of self-dircction and self
restraining power Over the conduct. With
this there may be a general disturbance
either Of intellectual or emotional activity, or
both combined constituting mania; or there
may be partial or limited sorder arising
from excess or deficiency Of some particular
tendency, constituting memoranda. OF those
who have made in apity and itS causes a
special study, probably there Is none more
prominent than DR.. stephen Smith, of this
city, who for the past four years has been
the New York sac commissioner in lunacy,
and in such capacity has visited all the
ssylums for the insane in this and otner
states. He says there are today 15,-
600 insane people in the custody of this
state, and that the increase in the number
Is about GOO.
"But if you take the last quarter of CEN
tury," added the doctor, lit is difficult to
determine with eyac n"s' whether there has
been any considerable increase of insanity
during that time Why SOL For various
reasons. In the first place, formerly no one
was placed in custody IS insane unless he
SIas very dangerously m d This view Of
insanity led TO the commitment of compare
lively few insane persons But lattcrly q
much larger scope has been given 10 the con-
ditiOns requiring commitment and as a con-
sequence muca greater number Of persons
are regarded a. IbicCts for custody. This
is one im!Grt n FAC or in the numerical in
crease x the insane. Again, there have been
great additions made to the number of forms
Of insanity by special studies of the brain
and its manifestat CEs. Persons are now
not only C 'mm tied b, ca1se they are danger
Gus. but al.O for the pu poses Of treatment
/ W tn a view TO recovery. Hence a very large
number who formerly remained at home are
now sent 70 asylums. And those adapted TO
asylum treatment for cure increase in pro
portion TO the progress Of discovery in the
kncwiedge Of the brain and its manifesto
/ tiCns.
aside, however, from these facts there is
undoubtedly an increase of insanity due TO
modern life. 1t is not due so much to the
hurry as TO the worry, which our present
civilization creates. Insomnia (sleepess) is
! the almost sure precursor of insanity and
| this is more often caused by mental worry
or excitement. And the conditions which
! lead to mental disturbances are on the in
crease Take, for example the telephone;
you would be surprised TO see the number of
persons in asylumns who are so disturbed by
II that they cannot sleep. Spirituaism
claims vast numbers of insane, and, in
general they are the most persistent in
their delusions. The use of alcoholic liquors
by the working classes is a growing evil as
regards the increase of insanity. The use of
narcotics, as morphine, cocoains, cannabis
indica, etc, is, believe, on the increase,
and leads to mental unsoundness They
effectually blunt the moral sense, and reduce
their victims to the most hopeless state of
self-deceptiOn. IL is safe To say that all
men, and woman too who come under the
influence of these drugs are the most invet-
crate liars.n
"How about overwork causing Insanity"
81 believe far too much is said of the
dangers of 'overWOrl1 as now commonly
understood. IL is not overwork but over
worry that makes men insane. The steady
and persistent work Of brain, or muscle,
with good food and refreshing sleep, is far
more healthy than idlencss. / never saw a
well and slept soundly You rarely find a
real brainwOrker in an asylum, and when
you do you will find that his insanity was
due to worry.'-New York Cor. Buffalo Ex-
press.