The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-07
Are We Degenerating?

A writer in the current Century, Phil
ip c. Knapp, considers at length the
question Are Nervous Diseases In
creasing?" and his deductions are cal
culated to reassure those persons who
have taken for granted. with becoming
horror, Max Nordau's predictions of
the coming mans inevitable physical
degeneracy
1t is true that the statistics seem to be
on the side of the proposition that our
fast pace is driving us by rapid stages
to the insane asylum For example, In
Massachusetts. from 1860 to 1890, deaths
from diseases of the brain increased
from 1906 to 1861 for each 10000 inhab-
itants; while from 1855 to 1885. the in
sane increased from in every $50 in
habitants to in every 1863 inhabitants.
But Mr. Knapp holds, in the first place,
that these and similar vital statistics
are not yet entitled to admission as
competent evidence. for the reason that
only recently has there been any scien-
statistics; and in the second place he
Is not prepared to believe, even though
an increase of fatality be shown as a
result of nervous diseases. that this
necessarily indicates a growing preva-
lence of such diseases 1t might, he
thinks. quite as fairly be taken to mean
that since medical skill in recent years
has succeeded very largely in conquer
ing and eliminating from the mortality
problem disastrous epidemics. this fact
has presented to many people the prob
lem of dying Of other forms of disease,
and nervousness has merely been one
of those other forms "Our hearts and
our Kidneys" he adds, "are giving out
much more frequently than our brains"
and he might have included in the first
category also our stonachs.
AS to the alleged increase in insanity,
Mr.. Knapp considers it more apparent
than real. Three Or four reasons might
In his opinion account for the fact that
statistics show an increase without
proving that the increase Is actual.
One is that old notions as to insanity
being a disgrace, to he jealousy con-
cealed within the family circle, have
disappeared. causing people more read
lily to admit its existence i'm their rela-
tives OF friends. Another is that asyl-
ums have ceased to be regarded as
v,Ia Of hrtl al Il
therefore more freely utilized A third
reason is that when comparison Is
based on cnumerations made within,
say, thirty years, the later census of in
sane patients is bound to include many
enumerated before. plus the newer
eases. thus giving a fictitious idea as
to the actual ratio of insanity among
the people. And lastly, physicians to-
day recognize as forms of insanity
many mild types of mental disturbance
which in former times were disregard
ed.
With reference to the general propO-
stion that the physical condition of
the American people Is becoming each
year less vigorous Mr.. Knapp enters
an elaborate disclaimer. The basis of
his defense is that the civil war demon
strated powers Of endurance I'm Ameri-
can soldiery superior to those shown in
any recent European war and equal
to any shown by our revolutionary
forefathers;s that our surgeons found
a larger percentage of recovery from
gunshot wounds than was noticeable
in Europe during the Franco Prussian
war; that measurements Of both our
soldiers and our school boys compare
favorably with measurements of E'u-
ropean soldiers and schoolboys; that
life-lnsurance underwriters testify to
the superior longevity Of Americans
and that In all competitions Of skill
and strength into which Americans en-
ter with Europeans, 1t is the rule for