“Our American minds are cracking under the strain of American civilization. In 150 years it is possible that one person out of every 200 will be an asylum patient. This is not only possible, but probable.” This is the forecast of Ernest Brennecke, writing recently in the New York World. He continues:
“Unless something quite radical is discovered and applied to check the ravages of the dread spectre of insanity in our midst, we shall in time become a nation of idiots and imbeciles.
“As life in our urban centers becomes more and more complex, we are approaching that horrible goal with steady inevitable strides.
“In the year 1880 only 8 persons out of every 10,000—more than two of every thousand, in the United States were confined in institutions for mental diseases.” In 1920 the proportion has risen to 22 out of every 10,000, more than two out of every thousand. With the same span of time the actual number of insane has increased from ???. And the increase is still going on.
“Dr. Charles H. Mayo, America’s ‘doctor of doctors,’ recently declared, ‘We have doubled the number of insane in 30 years. In a period when medicine has made much splendid progress as a curative fo the body, we find insanity increasing at a surprising rate. The study of mental afflictions has been just as intensive as the study of bodily afflictions, and, broadly speaking, progress has been equal, still, the number of deficient or deranged persons is larger than ever. This leads to but one conclusion: that insanity has grown with our civilization.’
“In a personal message to The World the same authority added ‘You will note that the number of patients in institutions ha smore than tripled during the last 30 years, while the rate per 100,000 has nearly doubled.’
“The economic conditions that go with civilization and the bitter fight for mere existence that goes on in cities have much to answer for. People who have no financial difficulties, who do not feel the harrowing need of money, do not as rule go insane. Ten and three tenths per cent of our insane patients were found to have been comfortably situated; 8.2 per cent were dependents and presumably had no worries as to dollars and cents—but 79.8 per cent were described as being in ‘marginal circumstances,’ that is, compelled to struggle desperately for bare necessities, to think daily and hourly of the threatening possibility of abject poverty.”
From page 5 of The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Friday, August 22, 1924
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83025812/1924-08-22/ed-1/seq-5/#words=AUGUST+22.+1924
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