The evening times., 1898-12-13
much haIm.
INSANE POPULATION
OF SWITZERLAND
s~NLTWS kLnAIS CROWDED.
3 he IiTtIc Mountain Republic
AOFisi-BeaTer fn R"SpccI of
BcnEs nted Citizens.

.OUt cr population Of l.1t.e oye, o. =
Oo.,Ho Switzerland is "a Iec":a-brea!1e- as
regards Insanity This j. The opening
sentence in Il rsf.oEi iust received at The
S.ate Department from Consu! Adnlpa J..
Ffanheaihaj at Be,ue. Continuing Ae
says
"Accordlng Ip lhe enumeration ~ tae
close Of ras y,E lNs. lac inmates of thu
tweaty stale insane asy INNS Of the re-
pubic numbered aIe3. against 5s5} il 1896.
The number of females prelGm.na;ed.
The comn-ltmc MS 10 the asy'Hms dur
iuE the year iSe7 are recorded a. follows:
Males l3ll frrna as. o5e; total 2.4e1.
Released GuIlnE me YER l,2l- males and
g22 females; found uot IHsauc after CON-
mitment. Is.
THE expenditure OF the State for the
keeping Of each person Is given as about
80 francs ,$4S-25j per annHm.
There are 80 laws f5r tle commitment
Of insane persons. No judicial proceed
iugS. such as d tiIal before competent
court or expert commission are followed ::
bur simply the written assertion Of an or
d.nary physician. who need not be a spe
ciaIiSl on insanity. ihat IN his belief the
person is insane is deemed sufficient for
the seizure and confinement Of such an
accused person in an asylum. The fo!-
lowing case win illustrate what can hap
pen 10 an American citizen In Sw!tZer-
laad:
Julius Gerber. born in Switzerland in
1864. emigrated to Tie United States in
1879 In 1885 having saved enough money
10 crafty his desire of visiting his birth
place. he took passage from New York.
Unfortunately he was robbed of his say
ings ON the steamer and arrived in Swttz-
orland i'm q destitute condition. Tie Swiss
law procaims Once a Swiss citizen, al
ways a Swiss ciliZen,' in spite of the fact
of natives prolonged absence in an
other country and OF his swearing allegi-
auce TO and becoming a citizen thereof.
lhus making a peculiar duality of citi-
zenship The knowledge Of this law Of
his native country induced Gerber to ap-
ply for admission TO a labor colony a
kind OF public Wurkh0use in this city.
The work he was put to was hard, while
the food so he told me. was entirely in
sufficient. His hope Of getting back 10
the United States and his continuous
hauinC thereon earned for him the name
Of homesick melancholiac, and he was
sent FOR mental examination to a hospital.
"A phy SiCian. not an authority. gave
certificate declaring Gerber insane.
While in the hospital and awaiting trans
portation TO one Of the insane asylums,
Gerber escaped TO the consulate and
asked for protection as an American citi-
zen. At my suggestion. he agreed to re
turn to the hospital for further obserya-
tion. where h. was mt liberty to 20 about
as he pleased. In his conversations with
me. no traces Of insanity or hallucinations
were discemible-simply rciteration III n
most natural manner of wanting to re-
turn TO the United States, where he could
get work 10 which he was accustomed
After several interviews with the au-
thorities. / proposed to pay half of his
fare to the Emitted States provided ihe,
would pay the other half This they at
last agreed to do The same physician
who 50 willingly made out certificate
declaring Gerber insane, was equally
ready a week later to give me another
pr0nouncing the mans mental and
physical condition such that. with