The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-03-05

~HERE were $4,000 suicides In
the United States In 1912 and
over $4,000 insane people ac-
H.Er- counted for confined In institu.
tions 1t is well known that both sui.
eide and insanity are increasing every
year ut greater ratio than pOpula.
ton ~ .... .
lr some disease should become cpl
Kill l25,GOO people every year and
cause another large army to go In
sane all the newspapers. churches.
physicians. societies and the public In
general would sOnnd an alarm that
would ring around the world and steps
would he taken immediately to ascef.
tain the causes and IL possible to
stamp out the awful malady. but the
public seems to have accepted these
tragedies and calamities ~ u matter
Of course. and they therefore attract
40 special notice.
The fact that over 10000 good
American people can he driven to n
take their own lives and another large
number lose their reason every year
points to conditions so serious that II
ought to stir the blood of every normal
man and woman In the country.
Behind nearly every case of suicide
and insa nity there is. in my opinion.
definite and movable cause. and II
the cause Is movable it can be pre-
vented Having dealt for many years
with human suffering and listened pa
tiently TO peadings for help. am con
WINGED that in the majority OF cases
both suicide and insanity come from
II common cause.
When we consider that insanity Is
far worse than death and add the in.
sane to the annual suicides it il a far
more serious problem than tubercu:
losis. which IL receiving worldwide
attention and both state and govern
mental aid In many countries. While
n few people 20 insane and probably
take their own lives on account Of
tnpncial and sentimental difficulties.
the great majority OF Iunatics and sui.
"ides are caused by nervous fits and
storms that originate IN the digestive
organism A spell Of ordinary melan
chOlia is u step toward the asylum or
some rash act.
MelanchOlia Is caused by hyperchlO-
rbydria. which means superac idity. or
what is ordinarily called sour stom.
ach. Most people pay but little atten:
ton to this They take bicarbonate OF
soda. bismuth or nux vOmica. which
merely neutraliZes the acid. and then
20 on eating the same things. making
the same mistakes in their diet that
produced this condition The causes
still remain. They become chronic; the
stomach becomes highly irritated by
the soda. which is both an alkaIi and
an acid. as well also as the acid OF the
stomach. The food passing from the
stomach supercharged with acid irri-
t&tes the entire intestinal tract.
The stomach and the brain are con
nected by a complicated nervous sys-
tenn and when the stomach is irritated.
burning and CONFUSING day and night
with acid. these nerves carry the news
t" the brain. This is insomnia. restless.
ness. lack OF concentration. irrta bility:
II Is this condition that produces
storms and spasms OF nervousness that
often cause their victim to take his own
life
There Is another form Of nervous
ness produced by stomach acidlty
which causes one who Is not mentally
a Ia hnr nj
HE deed which may be suggested by
opportunity, and. being unable to dis
miss the thought. with the opportunity
constantly before him. he finally
Yields. and a revolving crime is com
mitted by one who is not criminal
and who under normal conditions
would shudder at the thought.
An instance OF this kind occurred
last summer In New Jersey. A young
Italian art student only twenty years
old suffering from what the doctors
pronounced Overwork. or study. the
symptoms of which were nervousness,
insomnia. melanchoiia. went from
New York to spend a month with two
old people on a little farm. A double
barrel shotgun stood In corner OF
the room. constantly within his view.
The thought How easily | could shoot
these two good old people with this
gun. one barrel for each!' came into
his mind. and he could not dismiss 1t.
The thought became stronger and
stronger until it developed into desire
rs the opportunities became more and
more frequent.
One morning after a breakfast OF
stra wberries. cream. oatmeal and cot
fee. the ideal things to produce fermen-
ration and nervous indigestion. he saw
the old people out In the yard and the
gun standing in the familiar corner.
His stomach was boiling with fermen-
tation, his mind and thoughts were in
similar condition, the old people
were defenseless. and. the opportunity
confronting him. he seized the gun
and did the very thing his disturbed
snd irritated mind had so long dwslt
upon. ---,s,5