Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-24
HYGIENE And SANITATION.
X-The Fight Against Mental Diseases.
By Frederic J. Haskin.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

The proceedings of that section of the
International Congress of Hygiene and
Demography which deals with the pre-
vention of mental disease will be ranked
among the most interesting features of
the sessions of the big organization.
Along with other non-contagious diseases,
insanity is making heavy inroads upon
the health of the nation. While the sick
rate and the death rate from all germ
caused diseases is constantly declining
through the increasing effectiveness or
hygienic measures the opposite is true
of those diseases which are not caused
by germs. and notably true of mental
diseases. 1t has been shown, for instance.
that there are approximately three times
as many insane people in the United
States today there We're before the
civil war in proportion to population.
The United States now has a national
organization for the extension of hySlenic
measures against mental diseases and 1t
will tell. through one of its leading men,
bers. just what has been accomplished
along that line. 1t - generally recognized
that there are now numerous preVentabie
causes of mental unbaance, such is the
too free use of intoXicantS. the marriage
and rearing of families by weak minded
people. morbid surroundings and the like.
A study of the causes and an effort to as
sess the responsibility that shall be laid
at the door of each will be one of the
features of the discussion. 1t also has
come to be understood that thousands
who formerly were given up to be hope
lessly insane may be treated in such
way as to restore their mental balance
and make them useful members of So
ciety. At the Government Hospital for
the Insane a system of prolonged cross
examination to find the real cause of the
victims decisions has been resorted to,
and once the doctors are able to hit upon
the idea that threw the victims mind
off it's balance, success frequently attends
their efforts to break down the delusion.
Feeble mindedness has long been the
study of educators and medical men, with
view both to allie
Feeble waiting the condition
~. of those who suffer
NnAAueuAeSS' and to prevent the
birth of Predetermined children. In Or
der to get at the subject properly it was
decided by the English royal commission
on the feeble-minded to define its vary
ing degrees To those who from birth
or an early age are SO defective that they
are unable to guard themselves against
common physical dangers it gave the
name of .idiot' An "imbecile" 1t de-
fined as one incapable of earning living.
but capable of guarding against ordinary
physical dangers. Those who are able to
earn their own living under favorable cir
cumstances, but who from birth or early
age are inca pable of managing them
selves and their affairs with ordinary
prudence it called 'morons. 1T has been
estimated that the proportions of the
people OF observation-disclosures from chile
hood are about as AS follows: Idiots. %
per cent: imbeciles, 80 per cent, and
morOns, % per cent.
The moron is pronounced the worst drag
upon society since few people recognize
him as really feeble minded, but regard
him as only stupid person, with too
much sense to be called crazy and too
little to be called strong minded. Usually
he becomes either pauper or criminal.
1t has been found by investigation by
the famous Cation Laboratory that there
are many paupers in the almshouses or
England whose parents. grandparents and
ereat-grandparents We're paupers before
them.
Heretofore little hope has been held out
of eliminating feeble mindedness. Be-
cause no one had yet found q cure. 1t was
presumed that no cure could be fOund-a
line of reasoning that would have been
fatal to the hopes of finding all great
cures for disease we use today had 1t
been followed. In the case of idiots it
has been agreed that the only hope there
is Of their elimination is by eugenics,