Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-04

there is his own personal relief and I happiness; second, that of his family | ductive labor and this applies as well To the woman in the housenoldi l ! fourth, the reduction of actual ex- pense on the part of the family, town, l and state. Fourth-Its educational value both to the physician and to the public. The higher you educate the physi- clans. the more you safeguard the community in which they reside. l think it will be admitted that as a single unit Of humanity, the high ] grade physician, if he does his duty to his patients, and plays his part in the public service is one of the greatest assets any community can possess. | In these days with the increase of | nervous and mental diseases, every | physician should have a fair knowl | edge and experience in this depart ment of medicine. The ignorance i among physicians, even those of high l attainment, regarding the significance | Of temperamental characteristics and | or mental symptoms in general is sur prising. It is accounted for. how
 ever. by the fact that the value of a practical knowledge of psychology ap- piled to uhe daily life of the individ- ual is only now beginning to be ap- preciated.
 Available to Every School
 A psychOpathic hospital should be
 available to every medical schol and
 courses of study in mental hygiene
 should form part of the regular cur
 riCulum.
 It was only a few years ago that
 physicians were well-nigh hopeless
 regarding the treatment and cure of
 tuDcrculosis- What a happy change
 has come in our present attitude to- wards this diseasei So are We now
 on the eve or an awakening to the possibility of prevention and relief of 2 ! 1nn a Fplr Es thoroughly enlightened, and it is real lzed how much success depends upon ! the treatment of each case in its in ! cIpIency, we will see d psyChOpa thic ! hospital or pavilion as a component
 part of every general hospital in our ! larger cities, and at our two state in ] stitutions at MidietOwn and Norwich 2 separate anneXes with complete equip ! mcnt for practiciEE psychOpattlic 2 methods in the treatment of their [ acute, curable cases.
 sl No one questions the humane and ! economic value of the city hospital. Every citizen appreciates what a con venienCe and saving it is. to have an 2 institution where bodily sickness or a | fractured limb can be quickly and
 slEiilfully treated. No city would ' think of doing without its hospital Now the broken mind of the insane ? or the broken morals of the criminal I are just as definite and tangible forms
 of sickness or departures from health s as is the case of the man with a e broken leg. From the economic
 standpoint of cost to the state the D presentation and cure Of these dis b orders Of mind and of morals is rel atively of greater importance than the relief of the ordinary ills and aCCi- dents of the body. Tell me then. why n has no provision been made for the U adequate treatment of this great class e of the mentally disturbed2 It is be- cause we are not enlightened, it is q because our viewpoint has been that ,J such persons require only care ana II not active. scientific treatment. 5 An Important Problem.
 q To emphasize the fact that tn, = problem of the insane is truly of vas } importance, I wil quote from the ad. Q dress of Doctor Thomas w. Salmon O s the National Committee of Menta if Hygiene read at the conference o . hygiene and demography held 1T
 He says: While it Is generally q known that insanity is a very preva'
 lent affiiCtiOn, 1t is doubtful whethel c many people realize that on January n lst, 1910. there were 1S7,454 insane V persons in institutions in the United if States. This number exceeds tht if combined enlisted strength of thu s United States Army. Navy and Mar Is inc Corps; and it exceeds the numbe .s of students who were enrolled in al ii colleges and universities in this coun uy try up to that date.
 - The insane population in institu ,- tions is increasing at the rate O
 5000 patients a year. This mean a that there are about 2OO,OOO inSan n persons confined today in our hospi f tals. asylUms and places of detention.
 The cost of caring for the insane il = institutions represents a sum whiC,
 is amazing to those who have not hal
 the matter brought to their attention o The average cost of maintenance il
 institutions for the insane in th
 United States is about S175.OO per pa
 tient (which. by the way. is far to
 low) making the total cost during tn
 year 1910 for those in institution
 sS2,so4,5oO.
 Loss to Country.
 To this great sum must be adde,
 the economic loss to the countr-
 through the withdrawal from produc
 tive labor of so many people in tn
 prime of life. It has been ascertain
 ed that the average value to the com
 munity of an adult between the age
 of IS and 45 is $TOO.00 a year. Upo
 country through insanity is over S150.
 000,OO0 a year. Adding S32 .OOO,0 tn
 cost of maintenance, We see that tn
 annual cost of instantly to the Uni \ l ted States is more than S164 GOO, ,00 A an amount equal to the entire valu of the wheat. corn, tobacco, dair 5 products and beef products now ex ported from the United States eaC' year"
 |. The yearly increase in insane pop
 ulation calls for increased accommO
 dalton and additional expense upo
 the tax payers, so that any means O
 l lr,,a r1F ,fI a,,