The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-09-21

AMAZING REPORT
One for Every 500 Inhabitants and
State Colony For Them
Should Be Es-
tabIished.
Especial to The Gate Chy.1

Especial to The Gate Chy.1
DIES MONIES, Sept. 21.-That
there are 1000 epileptics in Iowa.
ten percent of whom have become in
sane and three percent of whom
nave committed crimes, was the start.
ling condition disclosed here nv DR.
9. F. Applegate, superintendent Of
the Mt. Pleasant State Hospital. in
an address before the quarterly con-
ference OF superintendent of state
institutions with the state board of
control.
Superintendent Applegate gathered
his statistics from the state institu-
lions and from correspondence with
nine hundred doctors throughout the
STATE. ihe statements shows there is
one ep1leptic in Iowa for every 500
inhabitants and Mr.. Applegate points
out this fact as an alarming condition.
which should be dealt with by the
state legislature. He urges the estab-
lisnment OF state colony for epilep-
tlcs FOR three reasons: To provide a
safe and comfortable place for these
people who are unfortunate. To pro.
vide protection to society from them
and to protect posterity. He urges
that the present method of caring for
the epileptics at the insane hospitals
and schools for feeble minded is an
injustice to the eplleptic and the In.
sane, to say nothing of the fact the
present institutions are not large
enough to accommodate all the epi.
leptics of the state.
Need Prevention.
1T is the prevention, rather than
the cure, that we must look to- the
elimination of the number Of these
unfortunate victims in Iowa." said Dr..
Apologize. I'VE need colony for the
care, treatment and detention Of the
epeliptic, because it will afford protec-
ton to the epileptic and the public.
A colony will offer to the epeliptic
| the only hope for the betterment Of
his condition. 1t will provide a home
for class Of our population now suf-
fering and neglected, many of whom
are menace to society. 1t will open
an avenue of usefulness and at least,
partial support for this dependent
class. It will provide a permanent
place of refuge for the epeliptic, who
is at all times a dangerous citizen. 1t
will give us much needed room for
our insane and feeble minded which
is now taken up In our institutions
| by the epileptics. 1t will afford a
great opportunity for scientific study
and treatment of this disease 1t will
offer humane and effectual means of
cutting off, to great extent, the
source Of mental and physical degen-
eracy.
! A Daily Tragedy.
Il can conceive of no greater trag-
edy than that which is enacted daily
In Iowa by permitting the epileptic
and feeble-minded, the insane and
diseased, to marry, when 1t is well
known fact that the offspr1ngs OF
such unions, will almost always be
mental or moral degenerates. l can
cite in every large village in our dis
trict, cases where this degeneracy is
manifested by epileptic seizures,
feeble-mindedness inebriety, insan-
ity or neurotic condition bordering
on insanity.
"The epileptic, as he grows older,
is more likely to give way to habits
of intemperance, to immortality and to
do violent acts and worse Of all, he
is most liable to marry The number
of epileptics now within our borders
point to the existence of source of
crime which should be controlled, as
well in the interest Of justice as of
humanity. In Iowa it is no longer
question of cost and support. 1t is
duty on the part of the state to les
sen human suffering, to arrest the
progress and minimize the cause of
the disease and protect society