The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-09
MORE INSANITY IN ENGLAND.
Commission Reports N
Startling Increase.
From the New York Sun.

from I0G new 10TH OuH.
London, Aug. 1.-The annual report
of the Lunacy Commissioners show an
enormous increase in madness in Eng
land and in Wales. In 1859 the num-
Der of insane was S6,762, or one in
$50 of the population. There has been
a steady increase from that time up
to Jan. 1, 1903, when the number of
insane was 1884, or one in every 293
of population. The rate of increase
since 1894 has been especially nota-
BILE, the gain being from 92,067..
There was never such an increase in
the numbers of insane as in year end
ed Dec. 81, 1902, the increase over the
previous year being 1921. The num-
Der of persons who lost their minds
In 1902 alone was 22,5S1, or almost 500
per week. The increase was found al
most entirely among pauper lunaticS.
The proportion of lunatics privately
cared for to the population is about
the same now as it was in 1859, where
as the pauper population is twice as
high
carefully compiled table explains
as far as possible the causes of lunacy.
The list is headed by drink, to which
% per cent. of male and SO per cent.
of female cases of insanity is ascribed.
Heredity accounts for the greatest
number of women lunatics, the pro-
portion being the high one of 24.6 per
cent. In the case of men, heredity ac-
counts for 1873 per cent. of insanity.
Previous attacks come next, with 23.1
per cent. of women and 1872 per cent.
of men. In cases of unknown causes,
men come first, with II per cent, and
women follow, with 154 per cent.
The general impression that the in
crease OF lunacY is due to the mental
wear and tear OF modern life is not
supported by the figures. Adverse cir
cumstances, including business ankle
ties and pecuniary difficulties account
for the lunacy of 6.2 per cent. of the
men and 3.9 per cent. of the women;
mental anxiety, worry and oVerworK,
81 per cent. of the men and SO per
cent. of women: love affairs, one in
200 of men and three in 200 of women
There is about the same proportion of
insanity through fright and nervous
| shocks.
According to the figures of the COM
missionerS, physical, rather than di-
rect mental causes are responsible for
the great increase in insanity. One
case in three can be traced to some
disease or disorder. The percentage of
old people who have lost their minds
is as seven men to eight women. The
age limits between which the majority
of patients are admitted to asylums are
rs to A.
One-fourth of all those admitted TO
the asylums are found to have suicI-
dial tendencies. Lunacy Is Increasing
more in the country than in the cities.
In Hereford and Exeter there is
higher percentage than in London yet
the average increase of insanity in the
capital has attained the enormous fig
ure of 500.
DR.. E. w. White. who was recently
elected president of the Medical-Phy-
Geological Associat ion, points out that
not only is insanity increasing, but
that in the last thirty years there has
been no material advance in the rate
of recovery, despite the numerous new
and rational principles of treatment.
London particularly suffers from un-
limited numbers of the worst kinds of
cases of aliens and needy town dwell
ers, whose poor bodies and poorer
minds are often Slapped by disease.
For this and another great cause of
the increase of insanity, namely, the
marriages of these tainted with lunacy
DR.. White advocates state regulations
He is also in favor of such govern
ment control for the mitigation of the
chief cause of insanity, drink. Eng
land within the last fifty years has
become a spirit drinking nation. There
is no standard of purity for spirits,
and it is probable that the badness
and rawness of many cheap WHISTLES
is responsible for much insanity, which
laws for enforcing purity and ma
turity of all alcoholic drinks would
prevent.
Another factor in the increase of
lunacy pointed out by Dr. White is
the strain of modern education, which
accounts partly for the enormous in
crease in insanity in the last few
years in patients of the middle and
upper classes between the ages of IS
and 20. Another cause is the fact that
late marriages in the upper classes
and earlier marriages in the lower
classes are far more common than they
were fifty years ago. Either extreme in
marriage is regarded by the doctor as
bad for future generations.