The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1903-03-02
MORE BECOMING INSANE.
Growth Of the Big Cities II Fillins
Their AsyIuma with the Men-
tally Unsound.


Insanity in Chicago is on the IN
crease, but only to the extent expected
by the increase in the city s population
and the changing Of conditions there
reports the Tribune.
DR.. d. r. Brewer, professor Of mem
tal and nervous diseases in Rush and
the Northwestern Women's Medical
college and the author Of textbook
ON the subject of insanity, said: In
sanity thrives in urban communities
Grsat cities are the hotbeds Of degen-
eracy. In New York the proportaon
of insane to the sane is one to $40. IN
Chicago it is one to 400 The rate Is
increasing in all great cities. Brieny'
the reason is, that in this day and age
we are living too fast. Modern condl-
tions of life are enfeebling. We hve IN
fats in which all the attention is palo
TO heating, none at all to ventllatlng'
We come downtown in the street cars
in which the air is worse than tnat
of the Black Hole OF Calcutta. we
bolt our meals, rush from one employ
me1t to another, take little or no time
TO sit down and pull ourselves together
Naturally, in every great city, 'he
tendency is toward an increase OF an
sanity Such is the case in Chicago
s.Insanity increases in old and settled
communities" said DR.. H. n. Meyer
"Chicago is reaching that stage IN lts
| development where we will reap some
! Of the destructive effects OF modern
civilization. These effects are not seen
| innew wcommunities for several reasons
| First. it is not the sick, the lame, nor
the halt who emigrate. It is the young
4 and vigorous. Persons of sound minos
1 and sound bodies, not subject TO insan-
4 ity. Then. as pioneers, they live an
outdoor life, and breathe plenty OF
fresh air, have few OF the vices which
abound in great city, and altogether
| are those least liable to mental disor-
ders. The state of Minnesota, for in
stance. is to-day representative COM
munity of the pioneer class. ana con-
seouently a smaller proportion OF in
sanity is found there than in any other
state in the union. Chicago has passed
oatof the pioneer class and has reached
the second or third generation descend
ed from that sturdy race, and conse-
auently we may now expect an IN
crease in insanity, in every great city
that has fully passed the formative
period the ratio Of insanity is about
one to $40 of the population. Insan-
ity will continue in Chicago until we
have reached that ratio"
In Chicago the method Of having a
person declared insane and sent to an
an asylum is the same that it has
been for years. All the cases come be-
fore the county judge, Judge Carter.
There are two modes Of inquiring into
persons sanity, either by trial
before a jury Of six, or the judge can,
If he so elects. rule that the examina-
ton shall be in chambers before the
Judge and two experts in insanity
appointed BY himself. The latter meth
cd has less publicity than the jury
trial. which, however. must be always
resorfeo to where there is a contest
in the case, and where there is some
ground for the belief that the per-
sons who bring the charge Of insanity
might have some Interior motives in
sending the alleged insane person away
to an asylum
/ A piece Of akin cut from human
bodywilI show signs Of life for ten days
after separation. This discovery is
Important in connection with the