Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-15
NUMBER OF DETECTIVES lNs
IOWA HAS NOT IN
CREASED.
STATE INSTITUTION HEADS
DISCUSS MENTAL CONDITIONS
Figures Show an Apparent Increase in
Insanity in State, While Facts Are
That Detectives Are All and Better
Cared For-Warden Sanders oppo-
sition Has subsidized.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. l5.-Insanity is in
creasing. if at all, but very little in
Iowa or elsewhere, and the increase
is nothing like as great as formerly.
The number of those mentally de-
fective is much greater than generally
supposed, and including insane. feeble
minded and epileptics, together with
those classed as unstable is proba bly,
as great as one TO every fifty of popu-
lation.
The medical profession is greatly at
fault for the existing condition, but
society in general meets the problem
of caring for the detectives with an
astonishing degree of ignorance.
These are points brought out in an
extended discussion of insanity at the
state conference with the board Of
control and incidental to a paper read
by Dr.. Podstata of the insane hospital
at Elgin. He stated that in Illinois the
number of insane is about to every
400; in New York to 500; in Calfor-
MIA i 10 2755; in Nevada TO 21Q. The
average he placed al to $50 This is
only for those in institutions. He esti-
mated that the average is probably as
high as l 10 lis. OF epileptlcs there are
l 10 500 and the same of feeble mind
ed. There defective to every 100 of
population. and for every one prop
erly classed as defective there are at
least two who are unstable, or verging
on mental break down
Judge Robinson of the board stated
that while the statistics show that for
merly there were only one insane to
every 200 or $500, and now there are
one TO every 430 in Iowa institutions;
yet this does not really represent any
such proportional increase. In fac.
there has been very little increase. at
least recently The statistics are not
reliable, and besides the change large
~ represents the fact that a larger
number of the insane are cared for.
/ There was discussion as to the
cause of insanity and the Illinois doc
4 tor stated that a very careful investi-
4 CATION had been made at Dunning
where all the Chicago insane are sent
and it was found that % per cent of
/ them traced insanity to alcoholic ex-
/ cesses. and 10 per cent 70 syphilitic in
auences.
K There was also discussion Of the old
fiction about the farmers wives going
insane because of lonesomeness. Head:
of the state hospitals denied that this
was true in Iowa. and it was pointet
out that in the strictly rural states the
proportion of insanity is small anG
generally that insanity among 1ner
predominates.
It was agreed that there is field
fer much improvement in the matter
of securing statistics as to insane. fee
bic minded, epilepties and the menta
unstable, something on which the lowe
board has been at work long time.
One head of a state institution whe
seems to have overcome mountain o
opposition and made good in incredibi,
short time is the present warden of tn
state prison. Warden Sanders is go
ing on about his business serenely in
different to the storm which was raiset
about him for political purposes. 4
strong indors ement of his work AM
policy recently appeared in a publica
ton in Kansas City, the organ of tn
Society for the F'riendless, whose su
perintendent. Rev. z. A. F'redingf1am
visited Fort Madison and wrote from
personal knowledge. He fully ndorse'
the Sanders policy which he describes
briefly as holding that life for tn
prisoner or the pupil or anyone els
must, as far as possible. be made wort
living. He states that inquiry anon
the prisoners at Fort Madison shove
that they rejoice in the present man
agenlent. and
They gave the inquirer to under
stand that they were doing bette
work living better and finding lif
more tolerable than ever before in tn
history of the prison. They voted to
man to stand by him that his incum
4 bencv might continue. One seldom find
body of men so heartily loyal to
1 leader as here"
Ard as for one other phase of tn
1 work being done at the Iowa stat
prison. DR.. rockingham had this 1
say:
Mrs. Sanders has revolutionized tn
culinary department and brought int
it the order and neatness of we
I kept home kitchen. Many article
which the prisoners would not eat be
fore are relished now and the efet
upon the dietary and the resultar
change in both the health and til
! morals of the inmates is marked Tt
writer has visited many prisons. b,
! this is the first time he has ever know