The Detroit times., 1915-03-12
'EUGEN|CS
REPORT IS
STARTLING
twenty-five Per Cent
of Insanity From
Three Causes
PRIVATE DISEASE
LEADS ALL REST
Alcohol and Drugs
Shown to Have
Dire Effect
" CHARLES c. CONN.


against vice, liquor and drugs was
ever advanced tnan that voiced In
this city last night by DR.. Albert
n. Barrett. chairman Of the state
ersenics commission, In his hrst
public report before the Kalamazoo
!, Academy OF Medicine and officials
q the Kalamazoo State hospital
After two years Of careful inyesti-
CATION. the eugenics commission
found that Is per cent OF all insanity
existing IN Michigan today Is due
directly 20 syphilis. alcohol ana
drugs.
Forty-one per cent OF all insanity
exisfing In the state hi due directly
or indirectly 70 these three causes
OF the three causes drugs form the
nost insignifcsnt part. syphilis. ac-
cording to the findings Of the com
mission. lead all causes OF insanity
and alcohol b close second to this
\ disease.
The eugenics commission was ap-
pointed by the state legislature In
1917 and since that time has made .
careful study Of practically every
cesc of insanity existing In Michi-
gan. In an. there are IN Michigan to-
day 1s7.00 Insane patients. The an
nual cost to the state for caring for
and treating these patients Is s33.-
ooo,ooo.
OF this number approximately 7s.-
so have become insane either dr.
rsctly or indirectly because Of syph-
tIis. alcohol or drugs. DIR. Barrett
estimates that the elimination Of
thsse three causes would diminish
the insanity Of future years nearly
80 Per cent,
Eight per cent az an insane pstients
+ n the state have become demented
Z solely because OF alcohol. according
- DR.. Barrett.
slightly more than IL per cent
hsvs become insane because OF syph-
\; ~ and per c<nt because Of habit
1orning drt @. The three causes
co1nbine TO fern the, much greater
percentAge OF fprfy-cne.
The doctors report showed that
rs per cent Of male patients being
troated In Michigan institutions for
the insane hare syphilis. OF the
women patients I2.7 per cent have
thc disease. while ISL per cent Of
al1 insane patients have II.
Carrying the Investigation further
the commission examined the mates
q al syphilitic patients wherever
this was possible. IL was found that
In 56-1 per cent OF the cases the
disease had been communicated TO
the husband or wives. Much OF her.
e6itary insanity. he showed. Is due
70 hereditary syphilis.
One Of the most astounding reye-
iattcns contained In the report II
!. the fact that the ratio OF insanity Is
growing faster than the population
. increasing. This IL true not only
h Michigan. the doctor said, but In
the country AT large. At present
there are In Michigan "a insane pa.
TENTS for each 10000 population.
This ratio, he stated. compares IN.
vorably with the ratio existing In
adjacent states and IL even lower
than that found In some OF the east.
ern states.
The doctor admitted that the only
direct method Of attack open 70 IN.
medical profession in combating In
vanity. 10 against vice. drugs and
liquor.
He criticised the method employed
n Michigan for handling the feeble
minded and infrm. Fifty per cent
Of the boys who are today confined
70 reformatories I'm the state are
feebie-minded. he stated. and should
be treated as such. Seventy-two Der
cent OF the girls confined in the re-
formstory at Adrian are either feeb-
Reminded or abnormal. the commis-
sion's Investigation showed.
He spoke disparagingIy OF the lar.
~ Of morals which exists In the
county poor houses OF the state. The
greater percent OF the inmates OF
these institutions. the commission
FOUND. are feehlo-minded, YET the
practics Of marrying or Inmates
~ order that they may no longer re-
main charges OF the county, IL com
moa. he stated. "And this. he con.
tinusd. despite the fact that no
teebleminded man or woman can
become the parents OF normal
child; and seldom Il normal child
born n either the father or mother
= feeblsminded.-
~ one county poorhouse the com.
ulssion found that one feebIe-minded
woman had given birth TO ave lie
eitinate children. all OF which were
ocrn within the county home ana ali
= different fathers. Two OF them
cDent ail o. their lives In the coup.
~ Aone. dying there: two spent the
11ooter part 81 their lives there. and
~ ofsh died az birth. The total
or(Ino<e1 coet 10 the county m car.
- ~ Tie mother and these Ave
1'eo'unats children was $1,000.