The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-05
INSANITY IN NEW YORK.
Highest Proportion Of Mentally UnsOund
I'm small Urban Populations.

From the Nep York Medical Journal.
A Z the close Of 1905 New York State had
0 1850 insane pa tients in its public hospitals.
or a proportion OF one to about three hundred
Of the population. These show a very uneven
distribution. About seven Of the counties
show a proportion Of less than one in Ave
hundred. but these are counties in which the
population Is growing very rapidly, and the
families moving in leave their insane relatives
In the counties from which they move. Coun-
ties like Washington. Essex and Hamilton
show very few insane. while Albany, Rens-
selaer, Duchess, Putnam, Oneida, Ontario,
Yates. Seneca. Schuyler and Chemung show
the greatest proportions OF cases. From
Monroe to Chsmung there Is q belt OF high
proportion counties. which in the graphic
chart is somewhat misleading and Is probably
% be interpreted on the hypothesis that the
movement OF population In this middle area
Of the State has been more or less stable for
a number 81 years, and hence capable of
analysis, while in larger cities the defective
factor to be lost sigh Of. The histories are
too defective.
As a rule the highest proportions of mental
disturbances are found in the small urban
populations. This is largely due 10 the fact,
already noted, that the rapid influx into the
large cities tends to keep the proportion
down. The chart on the increase Of insanity
shows IL to have been steadily going up since
1897, the annual percentage increase OF the
insane mounting above the perCentag e in
crease or population.
Concerning the factor Of occupation, it IN
interesting to note mt ln0OOr mPChl nlcul
workers show a low percentage of mental
disease. The statement that the Mentally
diseased are apt to live as long as those Of
sound mind Is disprOYed by a consideration
of mOrta lily among the insane in The Stnfe.
SeriOus physical disease IL prevalent among
the insane. but deaths from dysentery, which
have been common in many English institu-
tions OF late years. are absent with us. and
the number Of deaths from t~uberCulOus dis
ease in our nstitutiOns il not much above the
proportion in the general population. This
spcaks well for the conditions under which
the New York State insane live.
II IL n very striking and significant fact
tina while the percentage OF the foreign
born TO the State population il twenty-six
the percentage of the foreign born insane
il forty-siX. Whence the higher prevalence
of insanity among the foreign born IL is hard
to state. Economic conditions are un-
doubleday largely creative OF the disparity
in numbers. A further study of our immi-
grant insane IL also noteworthy. Ihe min
Cling of races il 40 active at the present time
that IL is difficult 20 state just what the ten
acncy IL further than 10 say that there IL
a very high percentage Cf mental disorders
among the Immigrant population. During
the past ten years the percentage of patients
of Irish and German birth has decreased
while a corresponding increase in the pro-
portion of natives of Russia, Austria. Hum
gary and Italy has taken place. That such
a marked change in the composition of the
foreign boEn insane should follow so quickly
the changes In the sources of Immigration
leads to the conclusion that new and impOr-
tant conditions are bound to arise in the
population of our State hospitals.