The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-10-20
MORE CIVILIZED
THE MORE CRAZY
G0CIOR TELLS WHAT TO DO
Insanity Increases Four Times Faster
Than the Population According
to Expert.

ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Oct. 19.--That
conditions of American life are such
as to promote insanity and that here
dity, alcohol, and a special group Of
diseases are increasing rapidly tho
number of insane persons in proper
ton to the total population of this
country were statements made by
DR.. Leo M. Crafts of Minneapolis in
paper read before the medical section
Of the twenty-fifth annual meeting of
the Mississippi Valley Medical assoc
citation.
DR.. Crafts, giving figures for states
which he said were typical of groups
of states showed the extent to which
insanity had increased in this copn-
try during the last generation. The
insane population Of Illinois, as typi
cal of this section, he declared, had in
the last thirty years increased tour
times as rapidly as the total popula-
ton. Other states and sections. which
he mentioned, show tbs same rltio CT
increase.
Japan Gets Insanity Habit.
Not this country alone, acc )riing to
DR.. Crafts, but other countries have
caught the insanity habit. Japan is a
notable example. Since Japan has
adopted western methods Of doing
things, the proportion Of insane per-
sons in that empire has capi.ily IN
creased. The negroes were also point
ed to as furnishing another example
o. race incapable of adopting AM
erican methods and environment
without an increase in the number of
those who suffer mentally.
DR.. Crafts outlined a plan Of pre-
venting the further spread of Insanity
in this country, declaring that the
problem in this direction is even
greater than the problem confronting
the nation in the matter of preyen:-
ing the spread of tuberculosis.
Once Insane, Should Not Marry.
He would have the laws so stringent
as to prevent persons who have been
in an insane asylum, and later pro-
nounced cured, ever marrying. There
should also be supervision of Grimm
ais so far as their marriage plans are
concerned. immigration to the
United States should be stopped for a
generation, and when resumed should
be permitted only under rigid inspec-
ton, which would concern not merely
the immigrant himself, but his en-
cestOrs.
DR.. Crafts also declared there
should be a most rigid school inspec-
ton enforced, and that children
should not start to schol until at least
s years old
When they are sent to school they
should be instructed in preventive
medicine, and should be examined as
to heredity as well as to individual
diseases before admitted with other
children
Marriage licenses should be issued
by the health officer instead of by the
clerk of court, Dr.. Crafts said, and
should not be issued at all to persons
unfit to be married.
Would Eliminate Alcohol.
BY way of preventing insanity GER
tain things common to American life
should be eliminated. One OF these,
DR.. Crafts said, is alcohol, which
causes 20 per cent of the insanity In
this country and much disease. The
elimination of alcohol, he said, would
all but eliminate the criminal class.
Among uncivilized races insanity is
much less prevalent than among those
that are civilized, the speaker said.
The mind cannot bear up against
modern vices
Not only vices are to blame. he
thinks, bur the rapid, strenuous life
of modern CIV liZation.