The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-10-06
WHEN THE MIND FAILS.
AND DARKNESS COMES

Those who are actively engaged in
the care and treatment of the insane
often feel discouraged and dishearten-
ed over the many apparent irsur-
mountable obstacles, that are by acct
dent or force of circumstances thrown
In the way of hospital progress. The
daily witnessing of the tears, lamen-
tations and broken hearts of those who
come from distant parts of the state
to sorrowfully gaze upon the wasted
form and degenerated mind of some
loved one, brings about an inclination
to share in their grief, because Of ut
ter Inability to offer hope of ultimate
mental restoration.
In the evolution of the care of the
insane, physicians as they have gain
ed knowledge in mental disease, and
have acquired rational views of their
management. have struggled with
boards of control, and the boards of
control as they have become en1ighten-
ed have struggled with legislatures,
for recognition of the many require
ments of those entrusted to their care.
The struggles have usually been re
warded literally. and as we trace these
efforts the successful appeal has been
made, not infrequently, through an
education of the general public. The
problems of the insane. when properly
analysed. are such as to touch the
most resonant tones of the heart
strings of human sympathy, and
usually the great and charitable
American people stand ready. willing
and waiting to thoroughly endorse and
support any measure that will give
promise of reducing the amount of in
sanity in the nation.
oil ANiN
marvellous things towards the treat
ment Of diseases, teaches that there
is absolute truth in the time honore1
adage, "An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure" The first eff
fort in the treatment of insanity does
not begin within the portals of a hog
pital for the insane. but in educating
the youth of the country.
Alcohol the Chief Cause.
Much has been said in a sentimental
way about the untoward results of
drinking alcoholic beverages. The
weeping wife and the crippled orphan,
Bringing before the demoniacaI drink
crazed father have become common
themes for the temperance orator.
This picture is no doubt true. pathetic
ally so. too, but few there are who
realize that foremost and alone. indis-
putably at the head of the list OF the
causes of insanity, is the word alco
holisn. This terrible curse OF the
human race has, without doubt. sent
more unfortunates to the madhouse
than any other elment in the causation
Il mental disease.
Alcohol is an index Of mental
strength, just as surely as a gauge
IS an Indicator of pressure from
steam. Indulgence in drink may cause
healthy man to become insane
Those with inherent mental weakness
may begin taking an occasional drink
which habit repeated may mean the
beginning of a tragic termination
which end may occur in hospital fol
the insane. Recent statistics have
shown that in one European hospltal
FOR feeble minded children. forty-ont
- ~ every one hundred children ha6
drinking parents.
Aroonp six hundred children born
from one hundred and twenty drinking
-ootbers three hundred and thirty-five
died i'm infancy, or were born dead
saveraI were idiots and four in every
hundred we're epileptics. Ten emil
dren ont of every hundred, with drink
ing parents. in the city of London, are
conservatives. as contrasted to two ou'
OF every hundred children with healthy
and abstaining parents. Again tne
biblical injunction of the sureness %
punishment for ancestral sin.
Consumption Another Cause.
The great white plague. consump
ton, is probably the most important
sociological problem the medical pro
Session has to deal with. Thousands