New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-25
CAUSES OF INSANITY.
mentral Stresses, Not Physical En-
+ pironment. the Chief Ones.

No human fuHrrnity has been imputed 10 a great
"a variety OF influences than mental unsoundneSs.
Fssrly wei informed and sensible people. for in
saance have believed that Il Is connected somehow
with topography. climate and kindred features OF
the victims surroundings. Sti. 1t has never been
possible TO make cut good case for such an opin
ton: and the latter is made less tenable than ever
by DR.. William A. White. superintendent Of the
Hospital for the Insane at Washington. An ad
6ress which he delivered the subject several
months ago is now. with propriety. published in
s@The National Geographic Magazine"
II one coIlates data the distribution OF in
sanity and does dip beneath the surface Of the
matter he may well believe that the trouble Is
elosely related TO locality. Or. White presents a
chart. based the OF 1880. which shows
hat New England then had one case for every $50
persons and group OF States composed OF New
York New-Tersey and Pennsylvania averaged
for ~ Inhabitants whereas the proportion in the
Gulf States was only one 10 9S5 and in the Rocky
Mountain States one TO 1858. The worst situation
prevailed in the northeastern OF the country.
snd apparently diminished one went southwark
or westward. However. the rule does not hold
good on close inspection. The relative number OF
rases Just south Of the Dakotas is smaller than
sn those States: and beyond the backbone Of the
continent one is confronted with remarkable in
crease. The Pacific coast is badly of as New
England
Dr.. White does not 90 so far as to deny that
pography. geography, climate and weather have
concedes very little 70 them. The weather. which
account for the observed discrepancies between tie
middle Of the continent and the coasts for both
sections are affected by PRACTICALLY the same con
ditons. II climate had anything TO do with IL the
enervatlng heat Of serni-tropical regions should
make worse showing for the Gulf States than Is
reported from the North Probably a little harm IS
thus done. but il is more than counterbalanced by
other causes in the regions where insanity is most
abundant. The Washington expert is convinced
that the various clements n mans physical en-
vironment operate only indirectly and secOndarily
Their influence Is rot primary mental
On taking Up another set Of conditions Dr. White
finds much closer parallel. In the lower races Of
mankind with the animals. the struggle for lie
Is mainly physical. In civilized lands and in the
civilized portions OF such lands, the struggle Is
rnentsL This viii natural be the ferCest where
she greatest number OF people found in given
area In other words, density Of population is
important factor
Several liustratons Of the theory might be cited.
One Of them is furnished by the concentration Of
people IN cities Thus. in what Is called the North
Atlantic division Of States. the eleventh census
showed that 5l5s per OF the population was col
1ected in punches ot 500 more and only l6 % in
The South Atlantic. IN the South Central division
the proportion was e while in the Western
slf1sion x was % Again. IN 1870 the number Of
cities having a population Of $1,000 more was
ffty-elght- and exactly half OF them were in the
North Atlantic division. There, then the great
est concentration. and hence the most strenuous
sfrugele- The point Is enforced still further by the
3act that the proportion Of Of insanity to the
total population is greater in cities than elsewhere