New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-13
HEAR INSANITY DISCUSSED
Each of Three General Causes
Has Speaker at Conference.

Three general causes OF insanity-syph-
Ills, heredity and lcoholism-formed the
subjects Of addresses last night at the
public meeting OF the mental hygiene
conference in Townsend Harris Hall. at
director of clinical psychiatry, at the
Manhattan State Hospital, traced the
havoc wrought by syphilis; DR.. A. ]. Ro-
sanoff, first assistant physician at the
Kings Park State Hospital, Kings Park,
Long Island, discussed the laws OF hered-
ity and their bearing on insanity, and
Everett 8. Elwood, executive secretary of
the committee on mental hygiene of the
State Charities Aid Association. told the
large and OVERLOOKING audience how much
insanity liquor caused.
Dr. Rosanoff first explained MendePs
law of heredity and then applied 1t to
insanity, reaching the following theoreti-
cal conclusions:
1. Both parents being insane, all the
children will be insane.
2. One parent being normal, but with
the insane faint from his ancestors, and
half the children will be normal and the
other half will be insane. but even the
normal children from such mating VIII
carry the faint of insanity In their germ
plasm and will be capable of transmit
ting IL to subsequent generations.
8. One parent being normal and OF pure
normal ancestry and the other parent
being insane, all the children will be
normal and all will carry the insane
faint in their germ plasm.
4. Both parents being normal. but each
with the insane faint from the ancestors,
one-fourth Of the children will be normal
and not capable OF transmitting insanity
to their progeny; one-half Will be nor
NAL. but capable of transmitting the in
sane makeup, and the remaining one
fourth will be insane.
s. Both parents being normal. one OF
pure normal stock and the other with
the insane faint from his ancestors. all
the children will be normal, but half OF
them will carry the faint of insanity in
heir germ plasm.
.. Both parents being normal and OF
pure normal stock, all the children Will
be normal and entirely free from the
faint OF insanity.
Actual findings, he added. did not corre-
spond with these theoretical expectations
except in rough approximation. He said
about two-thlrds Of all cases admitted TO
hospitals for the insane were due to
heredity. He did not, however, wholly
approve OF the sterilization legislation
now in force in six or seven states ana
being actively agitsted in as many more,
saying:
IL may be questioned II the time has
come for us 10 be able safely to under
take active eugenic measures The
problem is full OF innumerable complex
tiles due TO the fact that In the case OF
any individual we are dealing not with a
single trait. but with a most bewilder-
ing combination OF traits, good. bad ana
Indifferent. even frank insanity may CO.
exist with the highest qualities OF hui
man genius The point | wish to
make is that the safe progress OF
eugenics cannot be rapid.
on the subject of syphilis, Dr. Kirby
said
For the protection OF the community
every person infected with syphilis should
be registered with the health authorities
and proper means taken to limit the
communication OF the disease TO others.
For the protection OF families and for the
ultimate Improvement of the race no
person who has had syphilis should re-
ceiye a marriage certificate unless the
blood test proves that the poison Is no
longer In the system.
Mr.. Elwood said that from 10 to 10 per
cent OF the 500 patients admitted In the
year ended September, 1911, entered the
state hospitals as the result of alco-
holism.