Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-02-02
REASONS FOB INSANITY.
Modern Fast Life Filling Insane
Asylums.

Asylums.
Robert Garrett, Bartley Campbell, Charlie
Johnes, Amos Learned, Joe Dion-the bust
ness man, the playwright, the broker, the
journalist, the expert billiard player gone
insane; state, city and private asylums
crowded with crazy men and women. Why
is It'll Does the fault lie in our way of liv-
ing, are brains growing weaker, or is it an
inevitable tendency and evil Of the agsl
These are the questions thoughtful persons
have been asking the past few days as the
names of well know people were aided TO
the list Of the insane.
What is insanity, and why ore people be-
coming insanel
These questions were asked to-day OF a
number of well-posted physicians. In sub
stance the confusion was that insanity is
either due to excess or to deficiency Of nor
NAL modes of mental action. 1t was stated
that that which is common 10 every form OF
insanity, which is frequently its first mani
festat;on, and which in so far as it exists
renders the lunatic irresponsible for his act
ions, is deficiency Of Volitional control over
the current Of thought and feeling, and con-
sequently q vast Of self-direction and self
restraining power over the conduct. With
this there may DO 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 monomania. OF those
who have made insanity 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
tho NptNy Nprlx 50 o. niGfn in
and in such capacity has visited all the
asylums for the insane in this and other
states. He says there are to-day 15,-
900 insane people in the custody of this
state, and thai the increase in the number
is about 900.
but if YOU take the last quarter of cen
tury," added the doctor, sit is difficult to
etermine with eXactness whether there has
teen any considerable increase of insanity
during that time. Why so! For various
reasons. In the first place, formerly no one
was placed in custody as insane unless he
was very dangerously mad This view of
insanity led to the commitment of compare
lively few insane persons. But latterly
much larger scope has been given to the con
ditions requiring commitment, and as con
sequence much greater number of persons
are regarded as subjects for custody This
is one important factor in the numerical in
crease of the insane. Again, there have been
Of insanity by special studies of the brain
and its manifestations. Persons are now
not only committed because they are danger
Gus. but also for the purposes of treatment
with view TO recovery. Hence very large
number who formerly remained at home are
now sent to asylums. And those adapted to
asylum treatment for cure increase in pro-
portion to the progress of discovery in the
knowledge OF the brain and its manifesto
items.
ssAsida bo,,,ey-er from, +basa s,r+, +I,,,, 4;
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 (sleepless) is i
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 whoare so disturbed by
it that they cannot sleep. Spiritualism
claims vast numbers of insane and in
general. they are the most persistent in
their decisions. 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, cocoaine, cannabis
indica, etc, is, | believe. on the increase
and leads to mental unsoundness. They
efectualy blunt the moral sense, and reduce
their victims to the most hopeless state of
self-deception 1t is safe TO say that an
men, and woman too, who come under the
influence Of these drugs are the most invet-
crate lars
How about overwork causing insanityl''
Il believe far too much is said of the
dangers of 'overwork' as now cOmmonIy
understood. II 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 idleness. / never saw
person made insane by overwork who ate
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.