The Washington times., 1926-12-21

growth. In 1860 the hospital had
been underway for five years. and
the Civil War victims had not begun
to arrive. And by terminating. With
1917 we side-stepped any chance Of
padding the roles with sheIl.shoclk-
ed veterans from overseas.
In 1860, So people were admitted
to the hospital, and there were 101
patients left over from previous
years; the population Of the country
was 81 800 900.
Variance Of Increases
In 1917, the hospital received Ss8
patients and 1926 were left over
from previous years; the population
OF the United States was 1O2 .000~
900. That ID. In the 67-year period,
the population had not quite tr1pled,
while admissions to the hospital had
increased little over nine times.
and the number Of patients under
going treatment had increased ~
times.
Part Of that enormous Increase
I 800 per cent-in the number Of
patients under treatment, Is be.
cause the 1917 figures represent an
accumulation of 81 years. while the
1850 figures represent an accumular
ton OF only five years.
But the number Of patients who
have remained at the hospital Tor
SO years won't swell the total 70
any great extent Fifteen years
probably, would be generous es-
innate Of the average commit
Military Service Blamed
And the increase In the number
OF patients admitted Ian increase
from So In 1860 to sos in 1917--can-
not be accounted for on the theory
that ideas Of insanity are strirtsr
nowadays than they were hall =
century ago. The majority or the
patients admitted throughout the
57-year period were from the milf
tary services-Army. Navy, ana
Marines-and civilians from the
District.
Service men were not taken from
the ranks and shipped to the hos
pital on the ground that they were
theoretically insane. They were
hospitaIized because they were UNI
able to perform duty on account Of
mental disorder.
Changing ideas about insanity had
nothing to do with it.
The District cases had all passed
trial by jury. In the last year and
a half the juries have dismissed
many OF the cases brought before
them, although in each case two
physicians had certified that the
respondent was OF unsUund nl1ns.
A casual checking-up shows tha
same Missouri-like attitude Of juries
throughout the last decade.
Modern Life Complex
The admissions to st. Ellxabeth'B
come pretty close to showing the
increase OF mental disorders In the
United States curing the last 80 or
so years. And the increase Is about
three times that Of the general popu.
latiOn. That q certain type Of Id.
sanity appears with the growing
completely Of modern life, with the
increasing nerve-strain Of earning q
living, there cannot be glinImer or
shred Of doubt.
This surplus insanity--this civil
cation disease-first came under the
notice of alienists somewhere around
1890.
After . few years Of watching. the
new entity was Christened dementia
praecOx and formally introduced to
the medical profession. It Is n city.
bred child. Out Of 8,518 cases of this
disorder recorded In the New York
State hospitals from 1915 TO 1920,
the rural sections furnished only rs
cases per 100000 population, while
the cities provided quota Of 1871
per 100000.
City Life Strain
The city quotas. were distributed
thus:
Dementia praecox
admissions per
100000 Of population
Admitted from:
New York city. ................ 21.0
Cities having q population Of:
175.O0O or more Except New
4OFO Assasssssssassssss 1Vst
$4,000 to III, 900. ............... 15.2
5000 to $4,000. ............... 100
BY 1920, the last year Of the period,
the rural sections had increased their
quotas to 9.S per 100000, and the
cities followed with 20.3 per 100000.
(AnOtI1eF instaIment tomorrow