Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-07
INSANITY AND ITS PHASES
Commissioner Tilden Gives Some Results Of
His Long Experience,
MENTAL DISEASE IS ON THE INCREASE
Many Causes for the wreckinE of the
Human Mind and Many ways
I'm which the CondI-
ton IL Detected.

A young man detained at the county Jail
on an insanity complaint recently demanded
and. Of course, was granted a public trial.
sucn proceeding is somewhat unusual in
Douglas county, as ordinarily It is pre-
ferred by patients and their friends that the
fact Of the formers detention and investi-
CATION be kept from the public, and there
was provoked by the hearing a general dis
cussion Of insanity and the insane by those
about the court house informed OF the
young mans case.
Among those so informed was an ac-
quaintance and friend OF DR.. George Tilden,
for twenty-eight years insanity commits
sioner OF Douglas county and familiar with
q total Of nearly 1900 cases in this county.
Through the friend DR.. Tilden was drawn,
with considerable reluctance, into the dis
cussion, and In answering questions pro-
pounded to him by those less fully informed
practically delivered a lecture that was not
devoid OF interesting declarations and sta
tistical information.
1T Is true the doctor said in answer
to one of the queries, that insanity is in
c~reasing throughout the civilized world, and
that the extremes Of poverty and wealth are
among It's fostering agents, with the ex-
citement of accumulating and OF losing
money responsible for not a few cases.
But statistics show that the outlook is less
gloomy than might be assumed, and there
should be a modification Of the prevalent
notion Of the hopelessness Of the affection.
OF every 100 insane persons, fifty die sooner
or later during the attack; twenty make
complete recovery; the other thirty make
Incomplete recovery, by which mean that
between subsequent recurrent attacks there
may be intervals of FIVE, ten, fifteen and
even twenty years with only ten Of the
thirty subjects dying during such attacks.
Controlling the Disease.
Medical science has taught its students
to detect mild cases early and to treat
them, often, successfully. When that is
done 1t is a virtual prevention Of insanity
and a matter for general congratulation.
Hospitals or asylums are much improved
In method now, which further operates
against the spread of the afliction. Inded,
there now remains little about these insti-
tutions which l would ~criticise unless 1t be
the plan we have in this state of removing
the heads with every change OF political
administration That is a great error. The
man chosen to take charge Of such a place
should be the very ablest man available,
and when chosen he should be allowed to
remain there long, that in his later years
he may have the benefit Of the observations
he made in his earlier ones.
"one reason for the large per cent Of in
crease in the number OF cases Of insanity,
remarked upon by those who read the CEN
sus reports, is that these institutions are
now receiving and reporting many cases
that used to be hidden in attics and garrets
by relatives who had a horror OF the very
word asylum and viewed the afiiction as
q family disgrace not to be disclosed. An
other reason for this increase / refer to is
that doctors are able to reduce acute cases
to chronic. and so save the life of the pa
tient. Still another reason is that the
definition Of insanity has been broadened
30 as to take In some Of the feebleminded.
Actual Increase In Number
still, there is no denying that there 10
an actual increase In the number OF really
insane and for this there are reasons other
than the excitement Of our strenuous COM
mercial existence. To begin with, there is
the matter of heredity. Some estimates OF
the percent of those insane by inheritance
are as high as 75 per cent, but / am in
clined to believe that 1t is no more than
40 or 80 per cent. Then as other reasons
there are the use Of alcohol and the preva,
fence OF specific diseases-both as impor.
tant as they are lamentable.
Yet in this connection there are facts
which surprise Americans. The French,
whom we accuse of a freer indulgence in
alcoholic drinks are shown In the official
tables to have a less per cent Of insane
than have the people Of the United States.
Among our people there are ITO insane In
every 100000 population. In France the
ratio is but 124 In every 100, 900. Sweden
reports 176 insane in every 100, 900 popula-
ton; Norway, 1856; Denmark, 1888; England,
1893; Scotland, 257; Ireland, S17; whereas
Hungary has but 81; Austria, 1856; Italy,
1888; Prussia, 81. Ireland and Hungary
represent the high and low extremes
among the civilized nations of the earth.
some American Pe~cuIiarities,
"In our nation there is, too, a great deal
more insanity among the foreign born than
among the natives-perhaps twice as much.
Among the native-born there is less per
cent of insanity charged against the col
ored than against the white population-an
argument, perhaps, for the don't-worry
philosophy Of the negro. As TO the indi-