The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-06-19
in our households.

The total lack of that atmosphere of kindness so necessary to the we'll being of the sane-doubly essential to the restoration of the unbalanced
 minds emphasized by MT. Beers He says, and truly, that what the in sane need most of all are friends The development and general adop- ton Of the system of non-festraint are providing these, by the inmuta- ble principle of "'as man thinketh' in his heart, so is he.'' In other words his acts are bound to shape them selves automatically to his thoughts.
 This is Interestingly reflected in the elimination of the ''suggestive' tnflu- ence of words. The o4d terms ''lun- atic asylum" insane hospital, and "mad-house'' are giving way to- the simple and hopeful sounding ''State Hospital The words insane and "lunatic'' do not even appear upon the stationery of modern asylums.
 Mental alienation is increasing. The reason is that both Bacchus and Venus are more assiduously wor- shipped than heretofore. Also cocaine, morphine, caffeine, asetanilid, and other habit-forming drugs are abused more regularly and consistently. This matter is now receiving worldwide attention, and regulation of the mot tied traffic bids fair eventually, to bear fruit.
 The time may come when the hope
 
 forms of insanity which now defy all attempts to cure. But that time is, so far as human vision percefves, in the far distant future.
 AS favoring recovery, 'alienists lay particular stress upon the value of an early diagnosis. One of the chief aims of the Society for Mental Hygiene" is to faIniliarize physicians and the public with knowledge of the premonitory symptoms of men treatment may be instituted. Early recognition of mental disease has more profound bearing upon a sue cessful outcome than is the case even with physical conditions cancer or tuberculosis.
 It is hopeful however, to know that all heredity insanity can be prevent ed. Practically every a1ienist-of any repute agrees that to prevent the in sane and feeb1e-minded from becon- ing parents would depopuIate the asy1ums. We have a sure, painless, humane remedy-when the public | signifies that it is ready to accept it. But there is no specific for in sanity after it develops. All that any system of treatment may hope to ac- compHsh is to give nature a chance to restore normality, by surrounding the patient with the best attaina'ble conditions Cure depends upon care. Happily, the horrors which Ho- garth so graphically depicted are be- ing ameliorated and abolished in our 1 asyIuns. While there is still much l to remedy, were Philippe Pine1, Ben janin Rush, William Luke, Gardiner Hill, John Connolly, and the great fathers of modern insane treatment to come back and view the progress 1 which has been made they could not be otherwise than highly gratified. Pending such time as a specific physical cause for the curab1e forms | of mania shall be found, humane l methods bid fair to gain the largest measure of success. It has been a noble and inspiring advance, and the movement should appeal to every Iiv- ing man and woman. For we are all potentially capable of achieving in- sanity.
 In that event, we could profit by the reforms which our own influence had helped bring about. This would be 'tcasting ones bread upon the wa. ters'-in it's completest meaning. EDWIN F. BOWERS, MD.
 Written for the Bridgeport Farmer