Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-09-24

many insane people in the
United States today there
before the Civil in
4zGEAE1AG9 proportion to population. The
United States national organization for the
extension Of hygienic against mental dis
cases. and it will tell through of its leading
members just what has been accomplished along that
line. 1t is generally recognized that there are now
numerous preventable Of mental unbalanceJ
such the too free of ntoxcants, the marriage
and rearing Of families weak-mnded people, morbid
surroundings. and the like. study Of the causes
effort the responsibility that shall
be laid at the door of EACH will be of the fea-
lures Of the discussion It also has come to be un-
derstood that thousands who formerly given up
TO be hopelessly insane be treated in such way
to restore their mental balance and make them
useful members of society. At the Government Hos
pital for the Insane at washington system Of pro-
Ionged cross-examnation to find the real cause OF
victims delusions has been resorted to, and ence
the are able hit upon the idea that threw
victims mind off it's balance success frequently
attends their efforts to break down the delusion
Feeble-mindedness has long been the study Of ed
ucators and medical men. with view both to ae1
Waiting the condition Of those who suffer and to pre-
the birth of feeble-minded children In order to
get at the subject properly decided by the Eng
lsh royal commission the feeble-mnded to define
its varying degrees. those who from birth or an
early age are so defective that they unable to
guard themselves against common physical dangers
it gave the of idiot" An "imbeeile 1t de-
fined as one incapable earning living but capa1
BILE guarding against ordinary physical dangers
Those who are able to earn their living under
favorable circumstances but who from birth or early
age are incapable of managing themselves and their
affairs with ordinary prudence, It called rnorons'
1t been estimated that the proportions OF the
people of weakmindedness from childhood are about
as follows: Idiots. rs per cent? imbecies' 90 per
cent, and morons. rs per cent
The is pronounced the drag upon so-
ciety, since few people recognize him really fee
ble-minded, but regard him only stupid person.
with much sense be called crazy and too little
to be called strong minded Usually he becomes
either pauper a criminal. It has been found by
investigation by the Cation laboratory that
there are many paupers n the aims Of Eng
land whose parents grandparents and sreat-grand-
parents were paupers before them.
Heretofore little hope has been held out Of elm
mating feeble-rnindedness. Because no had yet
found cure, presumed that cure could be-
found-a line of reasoning that would have been fataE
hopes of finding all cures for disease We
use today it been followed. In the Of idiots
it has been agreed that the only hope there is Of
elimination is by engenics since the detective
nature of their brain tissues, which has been shown
by examination the conclusion that the mem
tai processes could not take place in them
One of the causes Of feeble-mindedness in child
hood the absence diseased condition OF the
thyroid gand-the gland whose enlargement causes
goitre 1t has been found that treatment with thy
rod extract will usually restore the victim to health
and normal mindedness. 1t been suggested that
large number feeble-mindedness that set
in the child is from ten to eighteen years OF
age may be caused by similar physical condtl
ton II is not improbable research along this
line will be diligently pursued in the hope Of fnding
the cause such feeble-mindedness and recognzing
the symptoms its in time to adopt preventive
measures.
1t is now generally be true that the
major portion OF the feeble-indedness of the is
an inherited quality While statistics concusivelyi
prove that much Of it comes from environment they
also that the descendants Of the feeblemindeo
are largely feeble-minded themselves Records of in
dividuais who have married and where both fee
be-minded. disclose the fact that their children and
their childrens children. even down to the third and
fourth generation. have shown weak-minded and
criminal progeny than normalminded.
The historic case of the Jukes family where a.
very large percentage of offspring either
feeble-minded criminals. is pointed to by every
student of the problem. Another is that Of al
young soldier of the Revolutionary who after hei
was mustered of the army. married a feebls-l
minded in New Jersey. At the time conklinl
made Investigations he found that from the fee
ble-minded daughter of that marriage there $50
descendants Later the soldier married Pennsylva-
mia Quakeress Of normal Snnd From that marriage
there resulted eight normal children, and yet from
these eight children there descended only SOS
persons. OF the descendants of the first MARRIAGE
only 4s were norma-46 out of 4S0-while out of the
s65 descendants of the second marriage Ss2 were nor-
NAL OF the first marriage there were $50 who were
a serious detriment the community, while Of thsl
second there were but g.
Indiana leading the way toward wiping out that
feeble-mindedness and criminaty that comes from
heredity A law has been passed which has for its
purpose the prevention Of offspring crminallt
inclined people. Another law provides that no MARI
license shall be issued where either
parties is an mbecile epileptic unsound
mind under guardianship such, any man
who is within five years has been inmate of any
aims house or home for INDECENT persons unless he
make a showing that he will be able support
family. Nor will a license issued for marriage
either party is afflicted transmissIble
disease. Persons denied license called before
the circuit judge and given opportunity to show
why the license should be issued. Those who leave
for the purpose Of evading the law and are
married elsewhere flnd marriages void
If they Indiana However, if they show
that their marriage elsewhere good faith and
with the intention of evading the law, their mar
riage holds good even if aferward they do return.