The Washington times., 1904-12-11
STRANGE CAUSE Of
MENTAL DISEASES
Some Lighthouse Keepers
Subject to Them.
DUE TO CIRCULAR WALLS
At Least Five Well Marked Cases Of
Insanity Have Developed at
Minot Ledge.
DUE TO CIRCULAR WALLS

The Aiinot Ledge light is famed for it,
number OF men who have gone crazy in
II. and for that reason IS an object OF IN
terest 70 students OK mental diseases.
II is. as everybody knows, piece OF
engineering OF the highest order being
in that respect only secono 10 the fam
Gus Eddystone light. More than year
was consumed in getting foundation
for II, and so high are the tides and 30
terrific the storms that the entrance 70
the light is more than forty feet above
the water.
Then. one above the other, come the
! rooms occupied by the keepers and used
for storage purposes. and then the
watchroorn. and finally the lantern. Ine
tower being circular and space greatly
| In demand naturally everything Is LnduS
I 10 conform, so that no room Et1atl -
/ lost. Even the beds on which the men
sleep are curved. the tables against 10
walls are circular. and the benches are
/ half moons. Everything Is round.
II this lighthouse there have been az
/ least FIVE Well-marked cases OF lnsatill3s
and others IN which madness has DeeQ
suspected and the men relieved from
duty Experts IN mental diseases VIZ
/ have made a study Of eondiuons a. us
/ Minot Ledge light attributes the mus Is
ual- prevalence Of insanity there % ths
peculiar form OF structure Ihere Il no
J 6oInt thew saw on which the eye can
7 reet. SO ii travels round and round N
maddening whirl.
Fill Up the Curves
They therefore suggest that some
means be devised for filing up the
curves and producing corners and an
giles. IN support Of their theory they
cite instances OF men who have lost
their mental balance during long con-
hnement IN circular prisons, but have
quickly regained It on being transferred
to an ordinary room OF corners and an
| giles
In prison making marks ana corners ~
break the circularity OF his surroundings
and keep his reason from snpplng away
on the mad whirl or eneirchng walls
! Casanova, an Italian engineer VINO was
imprisoned IN a round tower gives muca
the same testimony. He says ne felt
great mental relief on being moved 10
an ordinary square room
As Il IS Well-nigh impossible TO make
much change in the form Of the struc-
ture OF the MinOt Ledge lighthouse, the
number of men in charge OF II has been
increased to i've in order that they may
have frequent leaves from duty and
take turns IN going ashore for visit 10
family and friends. This system has
resulted In a decrease in the number
Of cases Of meitnchOlla and more Sc
rious mental disorders
Men Often Shifted.
In fact, but for the frequent changes
made in the service by shifting men
from one station to another the num-
Der Of cases Of this sort everywhere
would be much greater than IL Is. Ia
| some cases a man is kept in a place for
only a few months and then sent TO
some less Isolated station for a while.
| To give the men something to think
about other than their loneliness and
10 occupy the long hours during which
| they have nothing Is do circulating
libraries OF fifty books each are pro-
vided. The books are carefully selected
and changed every three months when
the inspector makes his visit In the
collection are biography, history, travel
/ fiction, poetry, illustrated magazines.
and IN some cases newspapers. Also
I medicine chests are provided for relief
/ in case OF sickness and careful direc-
I lions given for the use OF their contents.
Despite the dangers and hardships OF
/ lighthouse life there are many appli-
cants for positions IN them. When
ever a vacancy occurs in the service
/ there is always a number OF men to
/ select from. And yet the pay is small.
/ In fact, the law provides that the aver
| age compensation given keepers shall
/ not exceed 500 a year. Probably the
| best paid keeper in the service IL the
| man at Hell Gate, who gets 81, 200 a year.