The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-03-09
THOSE WHO GO INSANE.

Remarlable Statistics Gathered by the
Nov York Lunacy Commission.
The fourth annual report of the New
York state Commission in Bunacy
makes an interesting showing of the
iccupat tions of Insane patients confined
N all the State hospitals. In the table
showing the occupations of those ad
mittcd since October 1, 1883, house
Keepers lead, the number of patients
having been thus occupied being 2,901
out of total Of 0,503, or tritie over
30 per cent. Next on the list come
laborers, excluding farm laborcrs, 1894
of whom, or IA per cent, were admit.
ted during that period. Farmers and
farm laborers are put at 1,O62, or near
ly 11.2 per cent. OF those admitted.
Among the principal of the remainder
OF the occupations represented are the
following:
Agents, "a patients; commercial trav-
oilers II, clerks 1T6, statesmen and
saleswomen 81, o actors, "a BARRIERS, 1S
barkeepers and bartenders, 80 black
smiths 60 bookkeepers, 40 butchers,
only one Christian worker, AZ cigar
makers, II civil engineers, 10 clergy
men, "a coachmen, "a cooks, 33S do
mestics, O editors, "a engineers, 90
factory operatives, 35 flremen, "a gar
heners, II hotel keepers, 10 journal
lsts," 21 laundresses, II laundrymen,
as lawyers, "a leather workers. 61
machinists, 81 masons, IL mechanics,
ia merchants, 10 millers, 10 milliners,
Al molders, % musicians, 10 nurses, %
painters and varnishers, 40 peddlers,
81 physicians, IL plumbers, AZ printers,
10 railroad conductors, 81 other rail-
road employees, 30 sailors, 20 saloon
keepers, % seamen and boatmen, G3
seamstresses, IL stenographers. 90 stu
dents, 10 tailors and tailoresses. 12O
teachers, IA telegraph operators, IA
tinsmiths. 10 walters and Mattresses,
63 workers In metal, Al workers in
stone, 232 workers In wood, "a bakers.
Seven hundred and seventy-three are
put down as having no occupation and
i32 whose occupation Is unascertained.
Among the same patients the prin-
cipal assigned causes Of insanity are
recorded as follows:
Imbecility 26, bodily injury 40. cere-
bral disease 21, cerebral hemorrhage
43, cllnacteric 1877. confinement in
prison 80, congenital defect 20, disease
Of skull and brain 13, epilepsy 4OS.
excessive smoking ii, excessive study
IL, typhoid fever 80, general ill-health
596 hereditary predisposition 425, Ill
health following over-work 449, intem-
perance In drink, OIL, intempcrance in
drink and narcotics III, In grippe 96.
moral causes, such as domestic trouble.
loss of friends, business anxieties,
fright, disappointment, ETC., 1,341, old
age 307, opium habit AZ, consumption
Is physical disease 211, privation and
oyer-work SO, puerperal 1874, excesseS
16, sunstroke 1873, traumatic 156. vic
ious habits and indulgences 40, unas-
certained 2,S19.
1t will be seen that among profess
sional men lawyers suffer most, the
number of patients of this profession
being 45. Physicians rank next at 81,
clergymen at 10, artists ut D and au-
thors at 2. There are 6 each of edi-
tors and actors, a rather remarkable
showing for the latter considering the
popular belief regarding the prevalence
Of insanity among the members of this
profession. This may be accounted
for in a measure by the knowledge
that many a so-called actor keeps to
the stage after he becomes crazy, but
harmless, as a long suffering public
will attest. 1t Ii safer to be plain
editor than n Journalist" by just
66 2-3 per cent.
A further examination Of the causes
Of the mental diseases Of these pa
tients show that OIL, or nearly 10 per
cent, We're made insane by intemper-
ance In drink, while the reason of 164
more was dethroned by intemperance
In narcotics and the opium habit. To
over-work and privation are also ac-
credited many Of the cases. The moral
causes enumerated, resulting In great
degree from weak or overtaxed ner-
vous systems, are responsible also for
q very large proportion Of the cases.
Almost exactly two-thirds of the
cases to which attention has been d.
rected, or 6225, are Of native-born per-
sons. OF the remainder 1880 were
born in ireland, 100 In Germany, 260
In England and 20S in Canada. The
remainder are mainly natives of Sax
ony, Poland, France, Italy, Sweden,
Switzerland and Wales.-Troy Press.
Erauda In IRE adam and Sayrea